


I'll Always Need You

by Dreamer1701



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Love, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 69,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamer1701/pseuds/Dreamer1701
Summary: "There'll be a time when you'll wish that you would have died during the last great war. The time of big changes will come and you won't have to wait long for it." Some time after Sebastian's death, most people think that everything's going to get better, especially Magnus and Alec. But do you think that their relationship can stand another battle worse than the previous one? MALEC
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Malec story 'I'll Always Need You'! I've written this five years ago and edited it last year. It was originally posted on another platform, but I posted it here now as well. It has 34 chapters and I'll post them now regularly. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, that would be great!
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

It was a dark and cold night. Everything was silent in this part of the city, which wasn't very surprising. No one came here. Even the homeless and criminals avoided the streets in the south. 

If they were asked about the reason why they didn't enter these streets, they looked at their feet and shrugged without saying anything. 

It was nothing that could be described. It was a strange feeling. Cold and depressing. Hope began to disappear and everything that was left were despair, fear and the urge to run away as fast as possible. Which most people did. 

But it hasn't always been like this. There was a time when many people were living in the big houses and even a few companies could have been found. Mostly poor people without much hope in their life and little, unknown companies, but that didn't matter. There had been life in this part of the city. 

Had been. 

Not now. 

The buildings weren't looking very good anymore and if you looked through a window, you could see that everything was covered in dust. And there was the silence. 

Normally, the city was very loud and it was a busy place with many people on the streets. But here, the noises could be barely heard and even the sound of a leaf falling to the ground was too loud. 

The creature didn't think of all these things. It didn't care about the empty streets and the lack of noises. The sound of it's shuffling gait seemed to be very loud and probably, it could be heard even by someone who was very far away. But that wasn't important. 

The creature was breathing very loudly and in a strained way. Apparently, walking through all those streets was already too exhausting for it. 

"Where have you been?" The soft and hissing tone of the voice made the creature stand still immediately. First, it didn't dare to do anything. It knew whose voice it was and even the thought of it made the blood in its body freeze. Then, the creature knelt down and looked to the ground. It wasn't allowed to look at its master. And presumably, it couldn't have said anything at the sight of him. So it was better to just stare at the asphalt. 

"I'm s– so– sorry, master. It wasn't easy to find this place." 

The sound of footsteps made the creature shiver again. Now, it realized that it seemed to be very loud. Or was everything else silent? It didn't know. 

"I know. That's why I chose this place. But if I would have known that you are so stupid, I would have chosen another demon to come to me to receive my orders." 

"I'm sorry." What else could the creature have said? 

"Well, know you are here. So I start now. And listen carefully! If you forget a single word I say, you will wish that I would have killed you immediately." 

"Yes, master." The creature swallowed and tried to withstand the urge to look up. 

"As you might know, I am searching for demons of all kinds who want to serve me. The world has been like this for a long time. We are living in the shadows and the humans are unsuspecting as always. And do you know why?" The creature felt its master’s breath on its skin and the urge to look up became stronger. 

"No, master." It stammered quietly and shivered again. 

"The Nephilim!" The voice of the master had become very loud – it was nearly a cry – and the creature covered its ears with the hands quickly. The blood in the body was frozen again. It wasn't able to move. Why was the sound of its breath so loud? 

"The... Nephilim, master?" 

"Shadowhunters, as you might call them." The creature knew that word and suddenly, it was angry too. But it didn't move anyway. The master shouldn't get angry. "They hunt and kill demons and most of the time, there's nothing we can do against them. They have many tricks and it's not easy to outsmart them. Well, I think that the time of the Nephilim will be over soon. And that's where your role in this game starts." 

Again this urge to look up, but instead of giving in, the creature bowed its head even more. "What do you want me to do?" 

"Others of your kind are already recruiting warriors for my army. So that'll be done soon. For you, I have a different task to do. And I hope that you can be smarter than you are now because it won't be easy. As you might now, the Nephilim – or shadowhunters – have many allies. The downworlders. Werewolves, for example, or warlocks. We have to disunite them, which is very difficult. Others have tried before, and they have failed. That's why we have to do it in a better way." 

The creature didn't understand what its master wanted. How could it make the downworlders hate the Shadowhunters? All it could do was killing things... 

"I know that you don't understand what I mean." The master said and it seemed as if he was moving closer to his servant. "So I'll try to explain it in an easier way. Kill some of the downworlders and let the others think that the Nephilim have done it." There was a moment of silence. "And I think I know where you can start. There's a certain warlock..."


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I thought just giving you the prologue was kind of mean since the whole story's finished anyway! Let me know if you want more!

The sound of footsteps behind him made Alec turn around slowly. He had his bow in his hands and was ready to shoot. 

However, he hesitated when he saw the creature standing in front of him. It was a few feet taller than Alec and looked more human than most other demons they'd faced within the years. 

Its feet were longer than the ones of a human and the hands still looked more like claws, but somehow, there was a big difference between this demon and others of its kind. Well, maybe because this one was standing upright. Or the eyes were the deciding feature. 

They were very large and red, but not as expressionless as usual. It seemed like the demon was weighing whether it should attack Alec or not. 

The arrow was pointing directly at the demon’s head and if it would decide to move towards him, Alec could simply kill it. But the demon wasn't doing anything. It just stood there and looked at him. 

_What a strange creature..._ Alec thought and took a step backwards. He didn't know if it was the right moment to attack. At least that hadn't been the plan. 

Where was Jace? 

He should have been there by now because he wanted to follow the demon while Alec was playing the bait. Then Jace would have simply killed it and the job was done. Apparently, something had gone wrong. Or was this still part of the plan? When his  _parabatai_ was planning something, that could mean anything. Well, most of the time he didn't even try to make a plan, which was even worse than having a plan which didn't succeed. 

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound at the other end of the hall and Alec could hear someone yelling. So the plan hadn't been successful. 

He wanted to shoot the demon and run towards the noise, but before Alec knew what was happening, the demon threw himself at him and they both fell to the ground. The bow was still in his hands, but Alec had lost the arrow, so it wasn't useful anymore and he let go of the arc too. 

The demon tried to hit him with its claws, but Alec was fast and that's why he was able to avoid being injured. He rolled to the side, so that the demon wasn't over him anymore and grabbed his seraph blade quickly. 

" _Nakir_ !" he cried and the blade began to glow in the darkness of the warehouse. 

The demon wanted to attack Alec again, but he raised the blade and for half a second, the aggressor hesitated. That was enough time for Alec to move to the side and cut its arm. 

The demon cried out and the shrill sound surprised Alec, who had nearly let go of his seraph blade. He stumbled backwards and ducked. The demon, who thought that his opponent was distracted, jumped forward and held out his claws so that they would be able to rip up Alec's throat. 

But before the demon knew what was happening, Alec raised his blade again and it pointed directly at its chest. Instead of being able to attack the Shadowhunter with its claws, the seraph blade had stabbed the demon and it vanished with a loud hiss. 

"Alec?" The sound of Jace's voice made him turn around quickly. 

Jace seemed to be unharmed and he was holding a witchlight in his hand, which made his face glow in a bright light. "Are you okay?" his  _parabatai_ asked and Alec raised his eyebrows slowly. 

" _'It's going to be pretty easy, there's no way this plan can fail_ . _'_ " He quoted Jace, who tried to look guilty, but wasn't very successful. 

"Well, it did end well, didn't it?" 

"Why did you think that there was just one demon in this hall?" Alec asked while they began to move towards the rusty gate. 

"You thought that too!" 

"Just because you said it!" 

"And why did you believe me?" Now Jace was the one who raised his eyebrows. Instead of answering, Alec began to open the creaking gate, which was so loud that it drowned every other noise. Since the demons were dead, they could risk being loud. And besides, going through the door was far more pleasant than climbing through one of the broken windows. 

"Why shouldn't I believe you?" Alec shrugged and looked at his best friend questioningly. 

"Even though I don't believe them, most people say that I'm not perfect." 

"Everyone makes mistakes." He shrugged.

"I don't want to interrupt your disagreement, but I think you can also carry on later." A familiar voice behind Alec's back said and he turned around quickly, just to look into two green, cat-like eyes. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked and Magnus raised an eyebrow. 

"Not pleased to see me?" The warlock asked and crossed his arms.

"Of course I am!" Alec replied rapidly. "I just didn't expect you to be here." 

"Well, this place was on my way home, so I thought that I could wait for you here." Magnus smiled, but when he saw the wound on Alec's arm, the smile faded immediately. 

Alec didn't even know that he'd been injured until that moment and he squeezed his boyfriend’s hand quickly. "It's nothing. Jace can fix it in a few seconds, right?" 

Jace nodded and took the  _stele_ from his belt. He drew an  _Iratze_ and the wound began to vanish slowly. 

"I think I should leave you lovebirds alone." Jace smiled wryly and began to walk backwards. "I'll see you two at the Institute tomorrow, it'll be interesting to see if Simon will be able to remember anything after he drank from the cup." 

Alec nodded and smiled first at Jace and then at Magnus. "He'll get his memories back, I know it." When he looked at Jace again, he saw that he'd already turned around and was disappearing in the shadows. 

"Why did he leave that fast?" Magnus asked and took Alecs hand carefully. 

"Clary's waiting for him." Alec told him shortly.

"That explains many things." The warlock murmured and Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling at him widely. "Are you alright?" Magnus frowned and he nodded. 

"Yes, after all, you're here." With that he leaned in to kiss Magnus.


	3. Chapter 2

The next day was coming faster than Alec and Magnus expected. 

It was warm and sunny – maybe even a little bit too warm for the beginning of spring. The leaves were growing fast and it seemed as if nothing could dim the good spirits of the city. 

Alec and Magnus had decided to walk to the entrance of the Silent City because they wanted to enjoy the good weather before having to enter the cold and dark passageways in which the Silent Brothers were living. 

Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Simon were already waiting for them. Simon looked very pale and Alec smiled at him encouragingly. Even though a few memories had already come back, Simon had many doubts and still didn't believe many things. 

Magnus and Isabelle have been doing their best to convince him of the existence of Shadowhunters, downworlders and demons, but Simon had first started to trust them when a few memories of Clary, his best friend, had come back. No one knew how Magnus has managed to bring them back and of course he wouldn't tell anyone what he’d done. While thinking of that, Alec began to get angry again. Although Magnus had written most of his life down in a book, he still had many secrets, which bothered Alec a lot. Well, not as much as it did before the events in Edom, the world of Magnus' father. He was too happy about the fact that Magnus was alive. But somehow, they would have to talk about many things soon...

"Do you think it's going to work?" Clary asked and looked at Magnus anxiously. Maryse had told them many dark stories about how the Mortal Cup had failed at turning Mundanes into Shadowhunters, and now she was afraid of losing Simon forever. 

"It  _should_ work, yes." Magnus answered and smiled slightly. He avoided to say that it would really work. Apparently, Magnus wasn't as confident as he wanted to appear. Alec was the only person who knew about his doubts. He'd told him that the transformation might fail right from the beginning, but only because he loved Alec and didn't like having secrets. Well, he didn't like having  _certain_ secrets, Alec added in his thoughts. 

"And I'll get my memories back? I mean, some of them have already returned, but it's still as if there were holes in my head." Simon frowned and touched his temple with the right hand. 

Alec saw Magnus nodding slowly. "When it works, you'll get back all the memories my fa– the demon took from you. He can't influence Nephilim as good as Mundanes, so there'll be some kind of protection on you." Nobody had said a word about Magnus' father being the demon they'd met in Edom. It was a silent agreement they’ve made after returning from the world and nobody had the intention to break it. They have told the Council only the name of the Prince of Hell, Asmodeus. 

"So there are only two possibilities?" Isabelle asked in a sharp tone. "Either he survives and will be able to remember everything he's forgotten, or he'll die?" 

Suddenly, they were all staring at their feet. Everyone thought of this, but no one had the courage to voice their thoughts. They were taking a big risk at letting Simon drink from the Mortal Cup and if he wouldn't be strong enough, he wouldn't survive the transformation. 

"Ah, there you are!" The voice of Robert Lightwood, the Inquisitor, called from behind Alec and he turned around to see his father, his mother Maryse and Jem walking towards them. 

The former Silent Brother smiled and Magnus nodded towards him. After Jem – he was using his real name again, James Carstairs, also known as Jem – has become a Shadowhunter again, they've been talking to each other more often and now they were good friends. Alec knew that Magnus has known Jem even before he became a Silent Brother – Brother Zachariah. 

Jace smiled at Jem too. The incident with the heavenly fire which had turned him into a Nephilim again had created a bond between the two men and they understood each other very well now. Maybe this was also because Jace reminded Jem of Will Herondale, his  _parabatai_ . After all, he was Jace’s ancestor.

"The Silent Brothers should arrive here any minute." Jem announced and Clary glared at the entrance of the Silent City uneasily. Alec didn't feel very good as well. Even the thought of going down all those stairs made him shiver. 

Magnus seemed to know that Alec wasn't happy about the things that were going to happen, so he took his hand and squeezed it with an encouraging smile.  _It's going to be all right_ his cat-like eyes wanted to say and Alec relaxed. But before he could smile back at the warlock, there was a loud crash and the entrance to the Silent City began to open itself. 

Brother Enoch appeared and looked at them for a few moments, in which his eyes stayed on Simon, Magnus and Jem for a few seconds longer than on the others. 

_I see that you have really decided to do this._ The voice of Brother Enoch spoke in their heads and Alec could see Clary taking Simon’s hand. Luckily, Jace wasn't angry about that anymore. He knew which kind of connection Clary and Simon had and so it didn't bother him anymore. 

"The decision has been made months ago and we won't change our minds." Robert said politely and stepped forward. 

Brother Enoch nodded slowly and looked at Simon again.  _Are you sure that you want to do this? After you have entered the Silent City, there is no way back._

Simon swallowed and nodded. "I am willing to do this." 

_I am willing_ . The same words he'd said to Asmodeus a few months ago. The same words which have saved Magnus... 

_Then follow me._

The Silent Brother turned around and disappeared in the passageways under the New York City Marble Cemetery in Manhattan. After a few seconds, Jem followed him and Magnus, who was still holding Alecs hand, began to walk after the former Silent Brother. 

The passages in the Silent City were dark and narrow. Alec and Magnus were able to walk next to each other, but sometimes Magnus had to take precedence and Alec was glad that the warlock didn't let go of his hand. In contrast to the others, Magnus didn't seem to be afraid. Maybe the fact that he was living for so long was responsible for that. At least he'd already seen worse things than the base of the Silent Brothers, which was probably one of the safest places on earth. 

After what seemed like years to Alec, the group finally arrived in the council chamber, where the transformation should take place. Several witchlights illuminated the room, so it was difficult for the visitors to see anything first. 

But when his eyes got used to it, Alec saw the Mortal Cup standing in the middle of the chamber. Several Silent Brothers were standing next to it and Brother Enoch joined them. 

_Many years have passed since the last person drank from the Mortal Cup to become a Shadowhunter._ One of the Brothers said, however Alec couldn't tell who it was. He only knew the voice of Brother Enoch and couldn't assign the others to particular faces. 

_Here, right now, in this room, we will write history again._

_Step forward, Simon Lewis._

Alec could see that Simon was as white as a sheet and it weren't just the witchlights that made him look like this. He was shivering and every step seemed to be very exhausting. Yet, there was this determined look in his eyes and the urge to find out what had happened to him. 

After having looked at Simon, Alec turned his head to see Magnus' expression. The yellow-green eyes of the warlock were shining and it seemed as if he wasn't sure what to think. Despite the waiting look on his face, Alec thought that Magnus had never looked more beautiful than in the shine of the witchlights. As if he knew that Alec was watching him, Magnus turned his head and for a few seconds, a bright and loving smile appeared on his lips. If they hadn't been in a situation like this, Alec would have kissed his boyfriend now, but unfortunately, that was impossible. So he just smiled back and hoped that he looked confident enough to give both of them hope. 

_Simon Lewis, are you willing to drink from the Mortal Cup to become one of the Nephilim, who have sworn to defend the world from the darkness?_ Brother Enoch asked and the festive tone of his voice surprised Alec. The others seemed to think so too because Clary frowned and looked at Jace questioningly. Alec's  _parabatai_ shrugged and he could see the fear in Clary's eyes. She'd been the most insecure of them because Simon was her best friend and the idea of losing him terrified her. And then there has also been the fact that Jocelyn and Luke haven't been allowed to join the ceremony, which had made everything even worse. Jace took Clary into his arms and with a small smile, Alec looked towards Simon and the Silent Brothers again. 

"I am willing." Simon said loudly and his voice sounded stronger than the others had expected. 

_Are you willing to take the risk of dying a cruel death while drinking from the Cup?_ Another Silent Brother asked and Simon closed his eyes. Maybe he also couldn't figure out to which Brother the voice belonged. 

"I am willing." This time, he didn't sound as convinced as before.

_Are you willing to risk your life for the Mundanes and everyone else who needs your protection?_

"Yes, I am willing." Simon answered again and looked at the Mortal Cup that was standing in front of him. 

_Then you are allowed to step forward and drink from the Mortal Cup, one of the Mortal Instruments, which were given to us by Raziel._

Slowly, Simon took the Mortal Cup and looked at it for a few seconds. Then he brought it to his lips and drank a few sips. 

Suddenly, he sank down to his knees and put down the Cup quickly, as if he feared that it might fall to the ground. Everything was silent when Simon cried out and started to wind himself on the floor of the chamber. 

Normally, someone would have ran towards him to help him, but in this moment, everyone seemed to be frozen. Even though it was very bright in the chamber, it looked like Simon was starting to glow in a golden light. His screams grew louder and then, Simon pressed both hands on his heart. 

Just as fast as it had started, the glowing vanished and Simon became quiet. He was lying on his back in the middle of the chamber, the Mortal Cup standing next to him. 

Slowly, Brother Enoch started to move towards him and everyone else seemed to be able to move again as well. Clary and Jace were halting a few feet behind the Silent Brother and Magnus and Alec went to stand next to them. When Alec turned around again, he saw that Isabelle was still standing close to the wall. Her eyes were closed and apparently, she didn't want to get closer to Simon. Alec could understand that. If Magnus would have been in Simon's position... He forbid himself to think about it. 

"Is he... dead?" Clary's voice was sounding very weak and she was clinging to Jace as if he could safe her from drowning. 

But before any of the Silent Brothers could answer, Simon Lewis opened his eyes. 


	4. Chapter 3

For some time, everyone just stared at Simon, who was standing up slowly. He looked exhausted and confused, which didn't surprise Magnus. After all, he'd just survived the transformation caused by the Mortal Cup and that was something only a few people were able to do. 

"Simon?" Clary asked shyly and looked at her best friend uneasily. "Are you... alright? I mean, how do you feel?" It seemed as if she wanted to take a step forward, but Jace was still holding her in his arms and apparently, he didn't have the intention to let her go. 

Simon frowned and turned around to look at Clary, but his face was blank. There weren't any signs of recognition and Magnus raised his eyebrows. Of course Simon couldn't see that because he was concentrating on Clary, but the warlock didn't care. Did something go wrong? The transformation didn't fail, that was easy to see (at least the boy was breathing), but maybe his memories hadn't returned. Had Magnus' father that much influence? Could he even manipulate shadowhunters? Or... 

Suddenly, it hit Magnus and he couldn't stop himself from grinning widely. There was this certain gleam in Simon's eyes, which he'd seen a few times before. Alec looked at him reproachfully and he opened his mouth to whisper something, but Magnus shook his head unnoticeably and pointed at Simon again, who was moving towards Clary and Jace now. 

He stopped a few meters in front of them and scratched himself at his head. "Do you really think that runes will look better on me than the Mark of Cain?" Simon smiled slightly and looked at the new rune on his hand, which showed that he was a shadowhunter now. 

Clary shrieked loudly and Jace released her from his embrace, just in time so that she could run towards her best friend and hug him tightly. 

"You remember it?" She asked with a sob and Magnus could see that she was crying. Jace and Alec exchanged looks and watched Clary and Simon with a smile. So it has really worked. Asmodeus couldn't influence Simon any longer, because he was one of the Nephilim now and the spell has only taken the memories of a mundane. 

"Seems as if you've been right." A voice behind Magnus said and he turned around to see Jem standing in front of him. 

"I had my doubts." He confessed and crossed his arms. "But yes, apparently the demon isn't able to control him anymore and so he's able to remember everything." 

Jem shook his head slowly. "I still don't understand how you've figured that out." 

"And you don't want to know, believe me." Magnus whispered darkly and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "There are some things which shouldn't be known by everyone. It's better like that."  _Alec would be angry if he knew what I just said..._

"You don't have to tell me. At least I've been a Silent Brother for many years and they're having many secrets, my friend." His gaze became absent and Magnus smiled. So he wasn't the only one who lost himself in memories sometimes...

"Magnus?" Alec touched his shoulder gently. "Simon wants to talk to you."

Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "To me?" 

"Yes, at least you've been responsible for all this." 

He shook his head. "Now it's something positive." He muttered so that only Alec could hear his words. "But what if Simon wouldn't have survived the ceremony?" 

"No one would blame you." Alec looked into his eyes and smiled. "You've done your best to help him getting everything back that he's lost." 

"That was taken from him." Magnus corrected and sighed. "I didn't have a choice, did I? I mean, you know who was responsible for all this." 

"But that wasn't your fault! It was the only way for all of us to survive." Now Alec looked at him appealingly. "Don't blame yourself for what had happened in Edom. Please, Magnus. I hate seeing you unhappy." 

Oh, those eyes. Those mean, wonderful blue eyes. Why did they make him so weak? With another sigh, Magnus gave in. "Alright, I'll stop thinking that it was my fault. I promise." 

Alec smiled and kissed him quickly. "Thank you." 

Magnus’ lips twitched and he took Alec's hand. "Come on, I think there's someone who wants to talk to me." 

Simon was standing next to Jace and Clary, who was still sobbing. 

"You wanted to talk to me, Sherlock?" Magnus asked and grinned at the annoyed look on Simon’s face. 

"You'll never stop doing that, right?" Simon asked and now a smile appeared on his lips as well. "You know my name! You've said it many times." 

"Wouldn't it be boring if I just call you Simon?" 

Simon grinned contentedly and crossed his arms. "Thank you for saying it." Magnus shook his head slowly and Alec grinned at the two of them. "And I think that I also have to thank you for all of this." Simon made a gesture that included the entire chamber. "Without you, I still wouldn't remember anything. I would be... well, I don't know who I'd be. Different. Somehow..."

"Incomplete?" Alec tried to help and Simon looked at him gratefully. Magnus looked at them in surprise. They didn't like each other, did they?

"Thanks. I think that's a good word to describe it." He turned his attention back to Magnus again, who was still smiling. 

"You don't have to thank me. And no, don't start protesting. I have to thank  _you_ , Simon." 

Now everyone else was surprised. "In Edom, I should've been the one who had to give up his immortality, remember? But you've taken my place and you gave everything that was important to you away, so that I could live. You didn't have to do that, Simon." The last sentence was not more than a whisper, but Magnus saw that they'd heard it. Clary and Jace exchanged a surprise look, while Simon seemed to be uncertain what to say. And Alec stared at Magnus wide-eyed. It wasn't difficult to see the shock in his face and that's why Magnus wrapped his arm around the younger boy quickly. 

"Don't look at me like that. I'm still alive, right?" He whispered into Alec's ear and he started to relax again. 

"I don't think that you have to thank me." Simon frowned. "I mean, everyone would have done that, right? And it seemed unfair to me that you should have to pay the price for everything that had happened. At least you've only played a very small role in the events of the last years." His eyes wandered from Magnus to Alec for a second and Magnus knew what he was thinking. That he had been there because of the blue-eyed shadowhunter. His love to Alec was the reason why Magnus had taken part in the war and nothing else. 

"Well, if you say it like that, we don't have to thank each other at all. We've settled our debts." He held out his free hand and after a second of hesitation, Simon shook it with a smile. But Magnus didn't let go of his hand. Instead, he pulled Simon closer so that he could whisper something into his ear. 

"After we've talked about this, I think you should go to Isabelle. She's been very miserable over the last months and you have to discuss many things." He looked into Simon's eyes for a few moments and hoped that he would follow his advice. "She loves you, you know?" 

With these words, he let go of Simon's hand. Simon took a step back and looked towards Isabelle immediately. 

"That was very nice of you." Alec whispered and Magnus looked at him in surprise. 

"Someone had to tell him to make a move, right? And I thought that it was a good moment to do it." 

"Thank you. I know that Izzy would never talk to him. She's too complicated for that."

"As complicated as her brother?" 

Alec wanted to protest, but another voice cut him off. 

_Now that the ceremony has been successful, I think that it is time for you to leave the Silent City and return to your Institute. The new Shadowhunter has to start his training immediately so that he will be able to fight at your side soon._ Brother Enoch announced and everyone looked at him in surprise. Then, Robert and Maryse started to walk towards the stairs which led them to the surface again. The light of the witchlights began to fade, so the others followed them quickly. 

* * *

On the cemetery, Clary hugged the surprised Magnus tightly. "I can't believe that it worked!" She whispered with tears in her eyes. "You're brilliant, Magnus! I don't know how to thank you." 

Magnus, still a little confused, smiled at her. "As I already said, nobody has to thank me. And before you say anything else, little girl, you should go to Jocelyn and Luke, who are waiting for you over there, and tell them that everything's alright." 

He hadn't expected that Clary was  _that_ fast. Before Magnus knew what was happening, she had already disappeared. 

Simon and Isabelle were standing apart from the others and both of them seemed to feel uneasy. At least it looked like that. There was a distance between them and Isabelle avoided looking into Simon's eyes. But suddenly, she threw her arms around him, which surprised him completely. Even from the distance, Magnus could see the surprised look on his face.

Magnus smiled and turned around to see Alec talking to his father. They hadn't been talking very much after the war, but nevertheless, their relationship has become a little better. When he was talking about his father, there wasn't so much dislike in his voice anymore and he didn't try to run away from him each time they met.

Slowly, Magnus began to walk towards them. He knew that Robert Lightwood didn't like him very much – maybe because he thought that he'd hexed his son – and so Magnus tried to talk to him as little as possible. 

Apparently, he was lucky today. Just before he arrived, Maryse came and said something to Robert, who turned around and left after saying good-bye to his son. 

"So now everything's going to get better, right?" Alec asked without turning around to look at Magnus. 

The warlock didn't show his surprise and wrapped his arms around Alec tightly. "After everything that has happened during the last months, you can't really believe that. But maybe we're lucky and everything will get better indeed. At least that's what I hope. We deserve being happy, don't we?" 


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Later that day, Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus were sitting in their favourite restaurant, Taki's. 

Everyone was happy about having Simon back and Isabelle was starting to behave normal in front of him again. It seemed as if they'd talked about everything that happened since Simon lost his memories and apparently, they wanted to try being together again. At least that's what Magnus thought. Isabelle was talking more and she was smiling again, which they didn't see in a while. 

Alec was in a good mood as well. He was talking to Jace about some kind of weapons, but the warlock wasn't really listening. Weapons weren't very interesting to him and he didn't like using them. Magic was far more comfortable and effective. 

"I don't think that I'll learn all those things that quickly." Magnus heard Simon say and turned around to look at him. He was looking at Clary and Isabelle doubtfully and sighed. "I mean, I also wasn't a good vampire, was I?" 

"You weren't that bad." Clary replied immediately and Magnus couldn't stop himself from smiling. "You were just... different." 

"Oh come on, don't lie to me! I drank blood from bottles and all the other vampires hated me!" 

"Or they wanted you to wear pretty clothes." Isabelle added and smiled in amusement.

"They didn't hate you." Magnus threw in. "They were jealous. You were  _the_ daylighter and able to walk in the sun. The others couldn't do that. And for some time, you also had the Mark of Cain that protected you pretty well. Raphael once told me that you were like a riddle to them. Your independence and the good relations to the Nephilim scared and impressed the clan at the same time."

Why was everyone at the table looking at him now? Alec and Jace had stopped talking about their weapons and the different ways to kill demons, but... Oh. Magnus had mentioned Raphael and Alec had heard the name. Great. Really great... 

"Are you sure?" Simon asked uneasily and raised his eyebrows. 

Magnus nodded. "Ask Luke. He's been there too." 

Luckily, Alec started to relax again after Magnus had mentioned Luke. Under the table, Magnus reached out to take Alec’s hand and squeezed it. How could he possibly think that Magnus had met Raphael? Stupid Nephilim...

The expression on his boyfriend's face showed Magnus that Alec wanted to talk about that later. The warlock wanted to sigh loudly, but he just nodded. What else could he do than to give in? 

"You won't be a bad Shadowhunter! At least you've got the best teachers in the world." Jace grinned and Simon looked at him doubtfully. 

"Oh come on, Clary's become very good, right?" 

Clary smiled at Jace, but Simon still didn't look very convinced. 

"We'll help you as best as we can." Isabelle promised and now a smile appeared on his lips. 

"But you have to be careful when Jace coaches you." Alec threw in. "He always said that he wanted to teach Clary new things, but when I came to watch them, they were kissing each other."

"That's something different!" Jace said loudly, while Clary blushed and Simon looked at Alec wide-eyed. When Alec started to laugh, the others joined him. 

* * *

Chairman Meow was already waiting for them when they entered their apartment. 

He purred loudly and tried to jump into Magnus' arms, who chuckled softly. 

"It's good to see you, too." He said to the cat, but Chairman Meow walked to Alec now. He liked the young shadowhunter very much and after Magnus had broken up with Alec, the cat has also been upset. 

"He loves you." Magnus joked and Alec laughed. 

"So there's at least one... cat that loves me." Alec grinned and let Chairman Meow jump onto the couch. 

"There's not just a cat that loves you." Magnus muttered and took a few steps into Alec’s direction. The younger man wrapped his arms around him immediately and for a few moments, they kissed each other deeply. 

But then Alec pulled away and took a deep breath. "You liked Raphael, didn't you?" 

Magnus, who still was a little breathless, closed his eyes and nodded. "You already know that I've helped him through a very hard time."

Alec nodded. "It's in the book. But you didn't write anything about your relationship. It says what you've done for him and I think that it's been great of you. Nevertheless –"

"Alec." Magnus cut in quickly and looked at the shadowhunter seriously. "You already said that you know what happened between Raphael and me. And I swear to you that there's been nothing else." He sat down on the couch and hid his face in his hands. "Don't you think that it's time we start trusting each other completely? After all we've been through, it shouldn't be like this anymore." When he looked up again, Alec was sitting on the sofa next to him and Magnus could see the sadness in his eyes. 

"It's strange, isn't it?" Alec whispered. "Your past is still bothering me, even though you've written down most of it and when I ask you something, you try to answer my questions as good as possible." 

Slowly, Magnus took Alec's hands. "Actually, it's not that strange. I've been living for a long time, which is why there are many things that made me who I am today. And you want to understand me. My life. The good times just as much as the bad ones. And there are many questions you can ask yourself. My relationships with other people are bothering you most and after thinking of it for a long time, I finally understood why. Letting go is never easy, even the time can't change that. It only makes the losses more bearable. And there are some people I've lost. I can't delete them from my memories and sometimes, I even miss them." Alec wanted to stand up, but Magnus didn't let go of his hands and forced him to look into his eyes. "But they won't come back. They're in the past. Alec, you can't get angry because of people who've already died. I love you now, and when I think about it again, I have to admit that you're my first  _real_ love. The first person I really want to grow old and die with! You've changed everything. My life has been exciting sometimes, that's right. And I've always wanted to live, but not as much as I want to live right now, with you. Every day I can spend with you is like a gift and even the thought of losing you scares me so much that –" 

Alec's lips cut him off and after a long and fiery kiss, Magnus looked at Alec in surprise. 

"Why didn't you say that before?" Alec whispered and the warlock could hear the upset tone in his voice. 

"I thought you know it." Magnus answered simply and smiled. "Stupid Nephilim!" 

Alec chuckled. "Apparently, I'm not as intelligent as you think." 

"No, you're emotional." Magnus corrected. "That's something different."

"And you really mean all those things?" 

"Oh Alec, of course! Why would I lie to you?" 

"I think I've been unfair to you. I should have trusted you right at the beginning. But I've made so many mistakes... Why did you still take me back?" he looked at Magnus sadly. 

"I love you. As simple as that." 

"And –" 

"Alec, stop thinking that you're not worth being loved. That's not true. And now I think that we've talked about everything that's important, right?" 

"You didn't let me say anything. I love you too, Magnus and I am going to trust you from now on. Really, I promise. You're a wonderful person and I don't tell you often enough how beautiful you are. You're everything to me and I don't know what I would do without you. When I –" 

Now Magnus cut off Alec with a kiss. "Come here." The warlock whispered and pulled him closer. 

Chairman Meow protested loudly, when Alec pushed Magnus so that he was lying on top of him. Magnus' hands were already under Alec's pullover, but when he heard the cat, he cursed loudly. "Bedroom?" He whispered into his ear and even before they shut the door behind them, many clothes were lying on the floor. 

"I love you, Alec." Magnus murmured before he pulled Alec closer and they fell onto the bed together. 


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

A few days after his conversation with Alec, Magnus entered one of the pubs of the downworlders. 

He hadn't been there for a long time and somehow, he thought that it was necessary to go to the pub again. Alec was on a mission hunting demons together with Jace and Isabelle. Clary and Simon didn't go with them. Simon wasn't good enough at hunting demons after his transformation and Clary stayed with him, so that he wasn't all alone and felt too useless. 

It was already dark in New York and there were many people in the pub called 'The Darkest Hour', which always tried to represent all kinds of downworlders. Nevertheless, there were always more werewolves in there because they liked it most. Or maybe because the owner was one of them. 

Magnus raised his eyebrows when he saw the plain and unobtrusive furnishings. There wasn't any decoration on the walls or tables and the entire furniture was brown or black. The room was lit by yellow and orange lamps and the music wasn't very loud. 

Now Magnus remembered why he hadn't been in there for years. 

He just wanted to leave when he heard someone calling his name. 

"Magnus, over here!" At first, he didn't recognize the young woman sitting at the bar and waving at him. But after a few seconds, he realized that it was Maia Roberts, the leader of the New York werewolf pack. 

Magnus walked towards her, but he had to be careful. Some drunk... – were they werewolves? Apparently, if they weren't, they wouldn't be drunk already – were dancing between their tables and tried to hug every person who came too close to them. The warlock got out of their way smoothly and sat down next to Maia. 

"Maia Roberts, what a surprise to see you here." Magnus grinned and now Maia was the person who raised her eyebrows. 

"Actually, I'm here very often. I didn't expect to see you here. What does the High Warlock of Brooklyn do in a pub in Manhattan?"

"A few years ago, I've been here quite often. I wanted to have a look at the pub again. So tell me, when has it gotten a new owner? It has always been colourful and loud but now it's..." He made a gesture with his hands which looked like an explosion. 

Maia looked at him in surprise. "You warlocks have a different sense of time, right?" 

"What do you mean?" Magnus frowned. 

"George owns 'The Darkest Hour' for nearly fifteen years now." She explained. "At least that's what he tells everyone who wants to hear it." 

For a few seconds, Magnus was silent. "I think that could be correct." He admitted and smiled. "If you would live forever, you also wouldn't take time that seriously." 

"Luckily, I'm not immortal." Maia said, but then her eyes widened in shock and she looked at Magnus apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to insult you. I just –" 

"You said it without really thinking about the sense of your words." The warlock cut in quickly and nodded. "Happens more often than you think. And no, I'm not mad at you." He grinned and Maia relaxed again. 

"How's the pack doing? Is everything alright?" Magnus changed the theme quickly. 

"Yes, everything's fine. There are more demons than a year ago, but that's not a big problem. We can deal with them very well and everyone's working together. First, it was strange without Luke. However, we know that he's happy and now we're a good team." 

"And you're the leader." Magnus remarked and his cat-like eyes scanned her closely. 

"Yeah, I'm the leader..." Maia smiled slightly and shrugged. For a few moments, the two of them were silent. "I didn't think that it would be this hard." She admitted. 

"Responsibility is never easy. That's also why I didn't want to be a high warlock for decades." Magnus explained and smiled at her encouragingly.

"When did you decide to take the responsibility?" Maia asked in an interested tone. 

Normally, Magnus wouldn't have answered that question. He would have changed the topic as fast as possible, or maybe he would have just left. Conversations like this have never belonged to his favourites – until he met Alec and tried to open himself to him. 

"I realized that I love this city. I've been living in New York for about one hundred years now and it was interesting to see the changes which have taken place here. The New Yorkers are different from other citizens. I've been in London for a long time too, but it's more old fashioned and not so... varied. In New York, people don't take everything so seriously and many exciting things happen. Well, at least sometimes. New York is my city, my home and I want to protect it. By becoming the High Warlock of Brooklyn, I was able to make changes and influence the things that are going on much better. It's my job to protect this city, no matter what happens." 

For a few seconds, Maia stared at Magnus. He just wanted to snap in front of her face when she shook her head slowly. "You're not as indifferent as you seem." She muttered. "I mean, I already knew that because I've seen you with Alec many times, but it's different to hear you say things like that." 

Magnus smiled at her widely. "Thank you for the compliment. I know that I'm awesome." 

"Okay, I think I'll leave it to Alec to tell you how great you are. I'm sure he can do it much better." Maia laughed and shook her head, so that a few curls fell into her face. 

"Am I dreaming or is this really Magnus Bane sitting in this pub?" A loud voice behind Magnus' back asked and he turned around to see a tall, skinny vampire standing in front of him. He had long, black hair which was tied together and his clothes were too festive for a location like this (Magnus own clothes – a black, ripped jeans together with dark purple shoes, a purple shirt and a grey, glittering jacket – were far more fashionable).

"Christopher?" Magnus asked in surprise and Maia just raised her eyebrows at the two of them. 

"You don't mind if I sit next to you, do you?" Christopher asked and without waiting for an answer, he took a chair and sat down next to Magnus and Maia. "It's been too long! You haven't changed, old friend. Except the fact that you were wearing green when we last met." The vampire exclaimed loudly and other people in the room were turning around to look at them. 

"I wouldn't say that we were friends." Magnus muttered and shook his head slowly. "And green has been modern about twenty years ago. So tell me, what are you doing in New York?" 

"I've heard about Raphael Santiago's death and that's why I came here. It took me some time because I was in South Africa when I heard it, but now I'm here. And I have to say that the city has changed very much. I didn't even know that there were wars in which the Nephilim and the downworlders have fought together." 

Maia looked confused and muttered something which sounded like 'A vampire in South Africa, is that even possible?', but Magnus cut her off quickly. 

"Not now." He whispered and turned to Christopher quickly. "There are more things than just two great wars you've missed." The warlock explained and smiled widely. "Times have changed and now everything's different. 

"I've heard about it. So tell me, what has the Fair Folk done to lose the recognition and respect of every other living thing?" 

"They wanted to kill the Nephilim and the other downworlders to get all the power." Maia growled angrily and now Magnus could hear that she was a werewolf. "They've been working against us for a long time and we didn't realize it." 

Christopher didn't seem impressed by her outburst. He watched Maia in a fascinated way, which made her even more angry. 

"Do you think that it's funny?" She asked loudly and now even more people were turning around to watch them. Mostly werewolves of Maia's pack, of course. 

"No, he doesn't think that." Magnus said quickly and looked at Maia forcefully. "He hasn't been around our kind for a long time and that's why he doesn't understand changes very well. For him, the old borders are still there and he can't adapt himself to the new ones that quickly." He whispered and hoped that Maia understood. Vampires could become pretty crazy, especially when they were very old. 

"So why are the Faeries watched so closely?" Christopher tried again and Magnus sighed, while Maia clenched her fists. 

"Why don't we have a drink first?" Magnus asked and handed the vampire his glass. Of course Christopher liked the idea and emptied the glass very quickly. 

It didn't take long until he was completely drunk and then, some werewolves threw him out of the pub. He didn't even realize that he was banned from the pub forever. 

"What was that?" Maia asked and looked at Magnus wide-eyed. "I've seen many crazy things, but this vampire had been insane!" 

"Sometimes, when a vampire (or a warlock, he added in his thoughts) becomes too old, he begins to see the world in a different way. Many things aren't important to them anymore and they don't realize that the time's still passing, even though they don't want it to. It doesn't happen very often. But with one thing he was right." Magnus had to admit. 

Maia frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"The Fair Folk is being watched closely. And it won't be easy for them to gain the trust of the Nephilim and the downworlders again. They aren't able to make decisions alone anymore." 

"We'll never trust them again!" Maia growled and Magnus smiled at her sadly. 

"We all make mistakes, Maia. Maybe we won't trust them in this life, but someday, they'll be able to become stronger again and then the world has to realize that the Fair Folk doesn't forget what anyone's done to them." 


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" Simon asked insecurely and raised his eyebrows at Jace, who was standing in front of him. 

"Well, now that I'm thinking of it again... no." Jace answered lightly and it was difficult for Alec not to laugh. They were in the institute together with Clary and Isabelle. Simon and Jace were standing in the middle of the gym and both of them had long, curved blades in their hands. Jace had made up his mind to train Simon (Alec still thought that he just did it for Clary) and he wanted to begin with weapons today. 

"Maybe you should have picked up something less difficult first." Clary suggested and Jace rolled his eyes. 

"I know what I'm doing. After your training with me you can fight pretty good, can't you?" Alec's  _parabatai_ smiled slightly. 

"Your training with Clary was mostly making out on the floor." Isabelle cut in and now Alec couldn't stop himself from laughing any longer. Since he was in a relationship with Magnus, comments like that didn't embarrass him anymore. When you were with Magnus, you were used to worse remarks. 

"Not funny!" Jace muttered and now the others had to laugh too. 

"Okay, so we'll start with something different?" Simon asked hopefully and Jace just wanted to say something when they heard a loud voice in the hallway. 

"If it doesn't work, we'll just send him away!" Maryse shouted and everyone froze immediately. 

For a few seconds, Alec could only hear the footsteps of two persons, most likely his parents. Then another voice appeared. 

"Don't you think that it's too hard? They won't let that happen." Robert, Alec's father. 

"I don't care if they want it or not. It's necessary. They're not strict enough with him." 

"But Maryse..."

They seemed to move away from the door because now they couldn't hear their voices anymore. Everyone was staring at Simon, who was very pale (nearly as pale as he'd been when he was a vampire). 

Then Clary began to walk towards the door determinedly. Jace realized what she wanted to do first and grasped her wrist quickly. 

"What are you doing?" She asked in a sharp voice and tried to get away from him. 

"Do you think that it's a good idea to follow them? You could get in trouble." Jace remarked and looked into her face searchingly. "Okay, I get it. You don't care if you get in trouble and all you want to do right now is to make sure that Simon can stay with us." With those words, he let go of her wrist and Clary smiled at him widely. 

"I love you." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him quickly. "So you'll help me?" 

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Alec asked and tried to look untroubled. Of course he didn't like the thought of listening to the conversation of his parents without permission, but the look on Jace's and Clary's face told him that they were going to do it either way. 

"No! They can't send him away!" To his surprise, Isabelle was the person who answered his question and when Alec looked at his sister, he saw that she was really angry. 

"Oh come on, you can talk later! We have to go." Clary said and before anyone could follow her, she had already left the room. 

It wasn't difficult for shadowhunters to follow someone silently. The only one who was making some noises was Simon. He wasn't used to creep up to something and sometimes, his footsteps were really loud. Then Alec looked at him warningly and hoped that Simon didn't think that he was angry at him. Maybe Simon wasn't someone who could be Alec's best friend and he had to be mean to him sometimes because he was the boyfriend of his sister, but altogether Alec thought that he was a nice person. Strange, but nice. 

"In Idris, he'll get the best training in the world. The Academy has just been reopened. There won't be his friends to distract him and in two or three years, Simon will be a good shadowhunter. After that, he can visit some other institutes, maybe London and Los Angeles, and when he returns to us in about five years, he'll be able to work with the others perfectly." Maryse explained and to Alec it seemed as if she was walking around the office because he could hear the sound of loud heels clanging on the floor. 

Five years. Clary and Simon exchanged shocked looks and she took his free hand (Isabelle was holding the other one). 

"Do you really think that he'll be able to get through the training in Idris? It's really hard and normally, you start with it as a child. Or you have at least to be a Shadowhunter. Simon will need more time to learn all those things and the instructors aren't very patient." 

Jace looked at Alec and raised his eyebrows, whereupon he nodded. Apparently, Robert didn't like the idea of sending Simon away as well. It surprised Alec very much because he always thought that his father didn't feel much compassion towards others. 

"He can do it. After all that he's been through, it shouldn't be a problem." Maryse's voice was cold and impatient. 

After a few moments of silence, Robert sighed. "When do you want to send him away?" He asked quietly. 

"In two months. Then there'll be a place at the Academy in Idris and we don't have to announce it right now. They've just gotten him back and it would be hard to know that he has to go again soon." 

Without saying anything, Simon stood up and began to walk towards the lift. He didn't try to be quiet anymore and the others didn't care about being heard as well. Clary ran after him as fast as she could and Isabelle, Jace and Alec followed them more slowly. 

They left the institute together and for a while, they just walked next to each other in silence. When they arrived in the Central Park, Simon sat down in the grass and covered his face with his hands. 

"They can't do that!" Clary cried angrily and when Alec turned around to look at her, he saw the frustrated expression on her face and the tears in her eyes. Jace wrapped his arms around her carefully and began to whisper words to calm her down into her ear. 

"I hate them!" Izzy said to Alec and he raised his eyebrows. "If they'll really to that, I'm going to run away." 

"Izzy –" Alec began, but she cut him off. 

"No, Alec. Don't try to protect them. You know that it's not right to send Simon away and we have to stop them!" 

"I didn't want to say anything to protect them." Alec was surprised at how cold his voice sounded. "After all that's happened to Simon, they can't just treat him like that. Yes, they're our parents and everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but this isn't just a wrong decision. They don't like him and they show it openly. I didn't figure out how to stop them yet. However, I'm sure that we'll find a way." He smiled at his sister encouragingly and turned to Simon who was still sitting in the grass. 

"I don't think that we can change their minds. You've heard Maryse, she's determined to get rid of me for at least five years. They’ll send me to the Academy." Simon murmured and looked at Izzy sadly. 

"She won't do that." Clary, who's been looking from Jace to Alec and then to their  _parabatai_ -runes said. "No, she won't  _be able_ to do that." She corrected herself and Alec followed her gaze. Suddenly, he realized what she was thinking. 

"That's brilliant!" He smiled and now the others seemed to understand it too because their expressions also became more hopeful. 

"Do you really think that it's a good idea?" Jace whispered into her ear and Alec was the only one who could hear them because he stood closer to the couple. "You know what can happen if he gets hurt or dies." 

"Why shouldn't we do it? You did it too." Now Clary looked at Alec and he quickly lowered his gaze to his feet. Of course she knew that he was listening. "And I don't think that it's something negative, right?"

"It can be pretty... exhausting sometimes." Jace murmured and Alec raised his eyebrows at his  _parabatai_ . 

"Don't you think that I should say that? At least you're the one who always gets in trouble. You didn't feel the coldness inside of your entire body when you were... turned." He shivered and Jace looked concerned. 

"Yeah... I think you're right. I'm sorry." 

Alec managed to smile again. "No problem. After all, it won't happen again." 

"You would be my  _parabatai_ ?" Simon's voice cut them off and the three of them looked at him. He was standing next to Izzy and held her hand like she could save him from being sent away. 

"Oh Simon, of course!" Clary shouted and a wide smile appeared on her lips. "You're my best friend and you know that I love you." 

"Hey!" Jace cried and Clary grinned at him. 

"Not like I love you!" She kissed him on the cheek (he had to bend down so she could do it) and turned back to Simon. "I couldn't live without you and I won't let anything happen to you." 

Slowly, Simon began to smile. "You're great, Clary." He said and then Clary wrapped his arms around him to hug him tightly. "Thank you." 

"You don't have to thank me. I would have asked you anyway. This just speeds it up a little bit." 

"Do you think that it'll work?" Isabelle asked Alec and he nodded. 

"After the ceremony, they aren't allowed to separate them anymore, so he has to stay." 

"Then I also have to thank you, Clary." 

Clary and Simon both cried out in surprise when Isabelle wrapped her arms around the two of them and Alec and Jace laughed loudly. 

* * *

"So Maryse plans to send Simon away?" Magnus asked and Alec nodded. 

It was the evening after Clary and Simon had decided to become  _parabatai_ . Alec had decided not to go to the institute again before going to their apartment and now he was lying next to Magnus on their bed. 

The warlock had wrapped his arms around Alec's neck tightly and his arms were at Magnus' waist. 

"Yes, in two months. But when Clary and Simon become  _parabatai_ , she won't be allowed to do it anymore." A small smile appeared on his face, but Magnus looked at him thoughtfully. 

"I'll never understand you Nephilim and the bond which makes you  _parabatai_ ." He muttered and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "And I've seen many of them. Mostly, their fate has been pretty dark. I knew Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs and I think you know what happened to them, Alec. Or James Herondale and Matthew Fairchild." The expression on Magnus' face was sorrowful now and he sighed. "And you and Jace didn't have it easy, too. No need to worry, I won't say anything about it. I don't want you to suffer from it again. What I want to say is that most Shadowhunters who become  _parabatai_ have to endure unbearable losses and normally, that would frighten away most people. That shows once more how stupid you Nephilim are." A small smile appeared on his face and Alec's heart began to beat faster. "You search love for a long time and when you've found it, you refuse to let go. You do everything for the people you love and when you can't save someone, you nearly break down under the weight of the loss and your grief." 

"But isn't love something positive too?" Alec asked and tightened his grip around the warlock’s waist. "It's not all about pain and anger. It's the best feeling you can get and when you're with the person you love, nothing seems to be impossible." 

The smile on Magnus' lips grew wider. "I love you, Alexander." He whispered and kissed Alec. First slowly, but already after a few seconds, the kiss became more heated and suddenly, Alec was lying on top of Magnus. 

"I love you too, Magnus." Alec murmured against his lips and Magnus' hands stroked his back. When they arrived at his shoulders, they grabbed his royal blue sweater (a present from Magnus) and Magnus pulled him even closer. His lips were now on Alec's neck and at that moment, he didn't care if they would leave a mark. 

His hands found the first button of Magnus' cardigan and quickly, Alec began to open it. Then Magnus' hands were under his shirt and Alec moaned loudly. With one fluid motion, the sweater left Alec and landed on the floor next to the bed. So did Magnus' jacket. And the shirt he'd been wearing under it. And of course his tie, even though Alec thought that it was a shame to take that off... 


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, it starts to get exciting! I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sometime after they'd overheard Maryse and Robert talking about Simon, the shadowhunters and Magnus were on their way to Taki's. 

Clary and Simon had decided to announce that they were going to become  _parabatai_ at the end of the week because they wanted Jocelyn and Luke to be at the institute too. They hadn't told them about their plans yet and Alec doubted that his parents had told Jocelyn and Luke something about it. Despite that they knew that Alec and the others had heard them talking about sending Simon away, his parents hadn't mentioned anything. 

They behaved as if nothing happened and Isabelle, Jace and Alec thought that it was very strange. Normally, Maryse wasn't someone who waited with something that important. 

"Maybe they're really afraid of our reaction." Isabelle assumed, but Jace shook his head immediately. 

"They know that we can't do anything against their decision."

"We  _can_ do something against it." Clary corrected him and a small smile appeared on Jace's lips. 

"The question is if they thought of that, pumpkin." Magnus cut in and Clary looked at him angrily. 

"Don't call me that, you know my name!" She protested, but Magnus just grinned, which made Alec smile too. 

"I know all your names. But sometimes, I think that it's boring to say them all the time." 

"So you call me Sheldon because my name's boring?" Simon asked doubtfully and looked at Magnus wide-eyed. 

"He doesn't mean it like that." Alec said quickly and smiled at Simon and Clary. Magnus was strange sometimes, but that didn't bother Alec. He loved him more than anything else and after about four hundred years, it was normal to have some crazy habits. And besides, the thing with the names was cute. 

"And how –" Jace couldn't finish the question because suddenly, they heard a loud growl behind them. 

Instantly, Isabelle, Clary, Jace and Alec were ready to fight. Jace had a long knife in his hand; Isabelle was holding her lash, ready to protect Simon and Clary had one hand at her seraph blade. 

Alec was kneeling on the floor in front of Magnus, even though the warlock had proven many times that he didn't need to be protected (for example on their first date). In one hand, he held his seraph blade and in the other a curved blade which was a little longer than Jace's knife. 

Simon was still standing behind Isabelle and he seemed to be frozen in shock. Of course he knew how to fight and even before he'd become a shadowhunter, he hadn't been that bad. 

Alec couldn't see Magnus from where he was kneeling, but the blue sheen on the windows of the houses told him that his boyfriend was ready to use his magic against the demons. 

And you really had to say demons because there were many of them. It wasn't possible to guess their exact number. The alleyway wasn't very broad and there were only a few street lights. 

"What a nice surprise." Jace murmured and Alec had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

"What are they doing here? Normally, they don't attack when so many shadowhunters are in one place." Isabelle whispered and Alec just shrugged. 

"Doesn't matter what they're doing." He answered quietly and Jace took a step forward. 

"Right, I think we should take care of them." And with those words, Alec's  _parabatai_ rushed at one of the demons. Jace wanted to hit his legs, but the demon was fast and took a step back quickly. He wanted to injure Jace with his claws, but luckily the knife was long enough to hold off the attack. 

For a few seconds, Alec and the others only stood there, frozen in surprise. Normally, those demons weren't that fast and intelligent, so it wasn't difficult to kill them. Apparently, these were different. 

Alec couldn't think about it much closer because two demons ran towards him and Magnus. The first one wanted to hit Alec with its tail, but he jumped over it and Magnus shot blue sparks at the demon. They seemed to burn the skin since the demon cried out and fell to the floor, where Alec stabbed it with his blade. 

The next one wanted to try something different. Apparently, it wanted to get past Alec quickly to attack Magnus first. Of course it didn't thought of the fast reactions of a shadowhunter. Alec stabbed the demon’s leg and before he realized what was happening, he'd already cut off his head. 

A large ball of light flew past Alec's head and he froze. The demon who just wanted to slit his back was lying dead on the floor. When Alec turned to Magnus again, the cat-like eyes were gleaming and the warlock grinned widely. "Someone has to watch your back too, right?" 

Alec couldn't answer that question. Suddenly, Magnus' grin faded and when he turned around, he could see what shocked the warlock. Even though the others were fighting closer to the demons, they all made their way towards Alec and Magnus.  _Strange..._ Alec thought and took his seraph blade. " _Malik._ " Alec murmured and the blade in his hand began to glow. 

He saw that Jace, who'd just killed the demon he'd been fighting against, looked at them in an alarmed way. Isabelle was already running towards them, while Clary was still protecting Simon, who tried to help her as best as possible. 

When the next demon tried to attack Alec, he ducked quickly and Magnus shot a blue flash of light at the demon. The others were dazzled, which was good for Alec. He threw himself at the next demon and stabbed it with his seraph blade. After that, he slit the arm of another demon, which surprised it. Alec just wanted to kill it, when he realized that the head of the demon was already missing. 

Isabelle was standing in front of him and grinned widely. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist." When another demon tried to get to them, a flash of light hit it and it fell a few meters before it landed on the ground. Now both Isabelle and Alec had to look at Magnus in surprise. They knew that he was a powerful warlock, but apparently, they didn't know  _how_ powerful. 

After some more fighting, most of the demons were killed. Alec still thought that it was strange that they attacked a group of shadowhunters. And there was something else about them that bothered him. They were faster and more intelligent, but that wasn't unusual. There were still kinds of demons the shadowhunters didn't know about. No, these demons seemed to have a real goal. Most of their attacks were focused on Magnus and all of them tried to get to him. Alec and the others were just obstacles and not important to them. But why did they want to kill Magnus? 

Alec couldn't find an answer to that question, so he decided to keep an eye on his boyfriend. The thought that the demons wanted to get Magnus made Alec shiver and he began to feel cold immediately. He had to protect him, no matter what happened. Without hesitation, he took Magnus' hand and squeezed it. 

The last demon ran towards Jace, whose knife was still in his hand. It shouldn't be able to attack him anymore because it fell to the floor, a knife in his back. 

The surprised look on Jace's face made Alec smile, even though he was still concerned about Magnus. "Maybe you can become a real shadowhunter someday." Jace murmured and Simon, whose knife was sticking in the demon right now, smiled widely. 


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

During the next days, Alec tried to keep an eye on Magnus as good as possible. The fact that all the demons had wanted to get to Magnus worried him very much and every time the warlock was going out in the evening, Alec found himself sitting at the window and waiting for the familiar figure to appear on the street. 

Of course Magnus noticed that something wasn't right, but when Alec told him about his thoughts, he just said that he didn't have to worry because he wasn't defenceless. At least Magnus was a warlock and in his four hundred years, nobody had managed to kill him. So why should it happen now? 

He knew that his words didn't comfort Alec, so Magnus accepted his efforts to keep him safe without complaining. Alec was glad about it because he didn't feel so useless and he didn't have to be afraid of something happening to his boyfriend all the time. 

So when they were entering the institute now to tell his parents, Jocelyn and Luke about Clary's and Simon's decision to become  _parabatai_ , a little part of Alec's mind was with Magnus, who wanted to go to a meeting of the warlocks this evening. Alec didn't like the idea of letting him go there alone, so he was still thinking about following him, just in case something bad happened. 

"Do you think it'll work?" Simon asked quietly and Clary nodded. 

"They don't have a choice. It's our decision and then they can't separate us anymore." She whispered back and Alec looked at Jace who was walking next to him. He remembered their  _parabatai_ -ceremony and a little smile appeared on his lips. Jace seemed to think the same because he also smiled and looked at Alec. Maybe it had also been the reason for Jace staying in New York with the Lightwoods. After Alec and Jace had become  _parabatai_ , it wasn't possible to send Jace away without letting Alec go too, and that was something Maryse and Robert wouldn't have done.

"Don't worry, Simon." Isabelle cut in and smiled at him and Clary, who was her best friend by now. "I'm sure that nothing will go wrong. They'll not be thrilled, but there's nothing they can do, right?" 

"My mum will be furious." Clary muttered and her expression darkened. "Even though she knows and accepts that I'm fitting into this world so well, she doesn't like it very much. At least that's what I think sometimes." 

Jace took her hand quickly and squeezed it. "Your mum's always enraged." He said with grin. "You shouldn't be surprised about her reaction." Suddenly, his gaze became gentler. "She loves you, Clary. And you know that she did all those things just to protect you." 

Now Clary had to smile at Jace. "I know." She sighed. If Jocelyn wouldn’t have done so much to protect Clary from the shadow world, Alec would have never met Magnus. "But becoming  _parabatai_ is nothing bad, right?" 

Jace and Alec nodded at the same time. "It's one of the best things that can happen to you." Alec answered her question and a smile appeared on his face. "Sometimes it can be strenuous and it's not always easy, for example when someone's in danger or injured, but I wouldn't want to give it up." 

"Well, you've a really complicated  _parabatai_ , Alec." Izzy grinned and Jace looked as if he wanted to protest loudly. "He can't stop himself from getting in trouble." 

"At least he doesn't have fire in his body anymore." Clary said and smiled widely. 

"He's too confident." Simon murmured and everyone had to laugh. 

"He might be complicated and stupid sometimes, that's right. Nevertheless, I wouldn't want to be in a fight without him. Not again." The last two words weren't much more than a whisper and Alec saw the guilty expression on Jace's face. Was he looking sad too or did Alec imagine that? 

He didn't have the time to look at him again. They had reached the library, where they wanted to meet the adults and Isabelle just opened the door, so Alec had to follow her into the big room. 

Robert and Luke were sitting on two chairs which were standing next to the desk, while Jocelyn looked at the books and Maryse stood at the window. When they entered the room, Maryse and Jocelyn turned around and walked towards them. The expression on Jocelyn's face was a mixture of confusion and distrust, as if she knew that something she didn't like was going to follow. 

"You wanted to talk to us?" Maryse asked loudly and raised her eyebrows. 

"Yes, that's right." Clary answered and looked at Simon, who was standing right next to her. He was pale, but the look on his face was determined. Simon nodded and Clary turned to look at the others again. "Simon and I have decided to become  _parabatai_ ." She announced and then many things happened at the same time. 

Jocelyn became as white as a sheet and looked at her daughter and Simon angrily. "No, you can't do that!" She cried and Luke got to his feet immediately. He began to talk to Jocelyn quietly and then a discussion between the two of them started. 

In the meantime, Maryse and Robert exchanged looks and Alec saw the uneasiness in their faces. "And why do you want to do that?" Maryse asked calmly and Robert stood up slowly. "It's a very big decision and it will change your entire life." 

"We know that." Simon said simply and a cold smile appeared on hid face. "And you won't be able to change our minds." 

"Well, could we at least know why you want to become  _parabatai_ ?" Robert tried again and Isabelle took a step forward. 

"Maybe because they don't want to get separated by you?" She asked loudly and now Jocelyn and Luke fell silent. 

"What do you mean by that?" Luke asked and raised his eyebrows at Isabelle. 

"We've heard them. They want to send Simon away for at least five years." She said coldly and Clary's parents turned to Maryse and Robert. 

"Is this true?" Jocelyn asked in a shocked tone and Alec remembered that she loved Simon too. He belonged to her family just as much as Clary and Luke. 

"You listened to our conversation?" Maryse asked Isabelle and the others instead of answering Jocelyn's question. 

"It was difficult not to hear it." Jace said and crossed his arms. "At least you were so loud that we could understand you in the entire gym." 

"So why do you want to do that? He's one of us! You can't send him to Idris!" Alec looked at Isabelle warningly, but she didn't care. "You have no right to do this!" 

"Isabelle!" Maryse said sharply and looked at her daughter angrily. "We have every right to do this! We want you to be a real shadowhunter, Simon. And in Idris you can get the best education in the world. The Academy’s famous for it. Isn't that something great?" She tried to convince Simon and smiled at him sweetly. 

"No, not when my friends aren't there." Simon's voice was like ice and Alec was impressed. He didn't think that Simon would talk to his parents like that. "And you can try as much as you want, our decision has been made." Simon exchanged a smile with Clary and now Jocelyn was the person who looked at Maryse and Robert angrily. 

"Do you really think that that's a good idea, Maryse?" She asked and raised her eyebrows. "Simon can get a good education here, too. Look at Clary. She's a very good shadowhunter now and Jace taught her nearly everything she knows." 

"That's something different." 

"Why should that be different?" Clary asked loudly and took a step forward. "Do you think that Simon won't learn anything from us?" 

"It is not like that, but –" 

"But what?" Isabelle cut in sharply. "Why do you want to get rid of him?"

"We don't want to get rid of him." Robert's calm voice answered instead of Maryse. "We want the best for him." 

"So why don't you let him stay here?" 

"Why not...?" Robert murmured and sighed. "Why not?" This time his voice was louder and more confident. He looked at Maryse questioningly. "Why don't we let him be trained here? If they really want to become  _parabatai_ , we don't have a choice either way." 

"That's right." Isabelle murmured and Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling. 

"When we're starting with that theme again..." Jocelyn began hesitantly and earned a strict look from her daughter. 

"No, we won't change our minds." Clary said simply and shook her head. 

"But –" 

"No." 

"If you –"

"No!" 

"But when –" 

"NO!" This time, Clary and Simon said it together and Jocelyn fell silent. Luke wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. 

"You always knew that it would happen." He whispered and she closed her eyes. 

"We'll talk about it again." Jocelyn said and turned to Maryse and Robert. "And even if they decide not to do it, you won't send Simon away. Understood?" 

If someone would have told Alec that his parents could look that surprised and frightened, he wouldn't have believed it. He exchanged a look with Jace and he saw that it was difficult for him to stop himself from laughing too. 


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

On the evening of the day Clary and Simon told the adults that they wanted to become  _parabatai_ , Magnus went to a meeting of some warlocks from all over the world. 

They had decided to meet in New York because the city had been in the focus of the events of the previous year and Magnus secretly thought that the other warlocks wanted to see something different. At least New York was the best city in the world and there you could see many exciting things. 

Alec hadn't been too happy about him going there alone, but he didn't say anything against it as well. He had been strange in the past days and Magnus knew why – Alec had told him about his doubts and fears, which surprised and delighted him. Of course it would be really bad if Alec was right and Magnus had to be careful from now on. Nevertheless, he couldn't just stop going out and doing his job. He was kind of responsible for the warlocks in New York and they counted on him when they had problems. 

So now he was sitting in a room behind a bar that was well-known by all kinds of downworlders. The Nephilim avoided getting here because it was easy to get in trouble with so many of them in one place. Shadowhunters weren't wanted and Magnus understood why. He would never have brought Alec here. It was too dangerous and Magnus was afraid that something could happen to him. 

Next to him and Catarina Loss, there were seven other warlocks sitting around the table. Magnus thought that one of them came from Tokyo and one from Cairo, but he wasn't sure anymore. Maybe he didn't listen that carefully when they introduced themselves... 

First, they talked about some rather boring things. Every warlock described the situation in the city he or she was living in and sometimes, they also complained about the shadowhunters (because they were so arrogant and useless and whatever else). And of course they asked Magnus about the wars that have taken place. Only two of them had been in Idris during the Mortal War and none had seen or heard anything from the Dark War against Sebastian. So Magnus had to tell them the entire story, which took quite some time (Catarina only said a few sentences, officially because she didn't want to interrupt Magnus and stop him from letting the others hear his great voice). At the end of his story, they all looked at him wide-eyed. 

"Why didn't you write me about this?" One woman, Magnus remembered that her name was Ines, asked. 

Slowly, he raised one eyebrow. "That would have been a very long letter, wouldn't it? And I thought we were here because we wanted to exchange information." 

"Yes, but that were very important things! Something could have happened in Athens too and then I wouldn't have known anything about it." 

"So it's my fault that you haven't been in Idris for years?" Magnus asked and crossed his arms. 

"Why should I go to Idris? I don't like the shadowhunters as much as you do." Ines spat and slowly, Magnus began to get angry. 

"It doesn't matter anyway." Catarina cut in quickly and leaned forward. "The wars are over and nothing happened to you or your city. And we aren't responsible for you, so we don't have to write you a letter about everything that is happening here." 

Magnus looked at her thankfully and a little smile appeared on Catarina's lips. The time she spend in the hospital made her quite patient and she was good at preventing arguments. 

"So what is going to happen now?" Another warlock, whose name Magnus didn't know, asked. He wasn't sitting too close to anyone else and it seemed as if he didn't like to be there. Apparently, the attention he was getting now embarrassed him. Magnus realized that he was a very young warlock. He wasn't even fully grown yet and Magnus searched for an explanation why he was there. 

"We'll try to live in peace with the shadowhunters and the other downworlders." Cheng, the warlock from Tokyo, explained and looked at the other man patiently. 

"Is that even possible?" Ines asked and looked at Cheng scornfully. 

"Of course it is. The shadowhunters aren't as bad as you think. Ask Magnus, I'm sure he'll confirm it to you." Magnus shot him an angry look. He didn't want to argue with someone this evening. Maybe he shouldn't have come at all. This was getting boring... 

"Do you really think that I can trust the judgement of someone who's sleeping with a shadowhunter?" 

Now Magnus couldn't stop himself anymore. He pounded on the table as hard as he could and blue sparks flew through the air. He heard the sound of the breaking wood and when he lifted his hand again, there was an imprint on the table. He made it vanish quickly, which produced even more blue sparks. "That's enough! If you want to talk about my love life, you can do it without me." With those words, he stood up and started to walk towards the door. 

"Magnus, you can't just go away!" Catarina protested loudly and stood up too. 

Angrily, Magnus turned around and looked at her. His cat-like eyes were sparkling in a dangerous way. "And why not?" 

Catarina sighed loudly. "You know that we can't discuss all those things without you." She murmured so that only he could hear her. "I'm sure Ines didn't want to insult you." She turned around to look at the other woman, who was very surprised. When Ines didn't answer, Catarina took a step forward and crossed her arms. The other warlocks at the table were starting to look at her angrily too and suddenly, Ines didn't seem to be as confident anymore. 

"Yes, that's right. I wasn't thinking about the things I said. I'm sorry, Magnus." Magnus had to exert himself very much to understand the last words and when he heard the annoyed tone of Ines' voice, he couldn't hold back a grin anymore. 

"Why don't we continue then?" He asked cheerfully and clapped his hands. He sat down again and Catarina, who walked towards her chair slowly, only shook her head with a smile. 

The rest of the meeting proceeded without any interruptions and they discussed many important things. Catarina had been right, it wouldn't have worked without Magnus. Since he had so good connections to the Nephilim and the other downworlders in New York, he could contribute much information and with that, they were able to agree on many things. 

Notwithstanding, Magnus was happy when the meeting was over and the other warlocks left the bar. In the end, Catarina and Magnus were alone in the room. 

"That went well, didn't it?" She asked and smiled in relief. Apparently, she didn't like the others very much as well. 

"Yes, I think so. But isn't it strange that the demons are appearing more often in every city, even if there are many shadowhunters?" Magnus asked with a frown. 

Catarina shrugged. "I don't know, Magnus. At least I'm working in a hospital and fighting doesn't belong to my favourite activities." With those words, she started to walk towards the exit and Magnus couldn't do anything else than following her. 

* * *

The streets on Magnus' way home were empty and in some of them, it was very dark. Apparently, the lighting didn't work correctly. 

First, it didn't bother him, but when he thought that he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, Magnus wished that the street lamps were all working. Of course it wouldn't be difficult for him to enlighten the alleyways with his magic, but he had a bad feeling about it. So he didn't do it and continued to walk in the dark. 

The sound of the footsteps grew louder and Magnus turned around quickly. The alley seemed to be empty, but the warlock knew that something was there. He could feel it and suddenly, he had to shiver. 

In that moment, Magnus decided to risk producing a little light. He looked at one of the street lamps and after half a second, it began to glow in a blue light. For a few heartbeats, he couldn't see very much, but when his eyes got used to the light, Magnus saw a dark creature lurking a few meters away from him. Without thinking about it, he took a step back. However, he had to stop when a hissing noise chimed right behind him. 

Slowly, Magnus turned around just to see another demon focusing him. "Oh, that's nice." He muttered darkly and let the light of the street lamp become a little brighter. " _Very_ nice." The words sounded muffled and now Magnus wasn't as calm as before. There weren't just two demons. It were about  _ten_ of them! 

"What do you want?" If you want to know why Magnus tried to talk to them, the answer's pretty easy. He didn't know it either. Presumably, the demons weren't able to speak or communicate in any other way, so it was completely stupid to do something like that. 

" _Bane..._ " The demon hissed and Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise. That _thing_ could speak?

"Yep, that's me." Magnus wanted to sound light-heartedly, but he knew that he failed. 

" _Kill him.._ " 

"Oh." Now he wasn't that optimistic anymore (if he'd ever been in that mood). "That's not nice, you know?" He didn't wait for the demon to respond. Maybe it also didn't want to say anything else, when you had to deal with those creatures it was difficult to tell what they wanted. 

The blue flash of light hit the first demon right in the face and it fell backwards, so that another one of them landed on the ground as well. Magnus' attack seemed to make the other demons angry because they all started to run towards him at once. Some of them hindered each other, which was good for the warlock, while one demon came far too close to him. 

The blue sparks made his skin burn and the demon let out a loud cry. Magnus used the fact that it was distracted to shoot a ball of light at him and with a crack, the demon exploded. But before Magnus knew what was happening, two other demons had reached him and he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. One of them had cut his arm with his claws and blood was running down and wetted his hand.

Magnus couldn't stop the other demon from jumping on him and they fell on the ground together. He gasped and for a moment, he didn't know what to do because of all the dust in the air. 

Suddenly, the weight on his body vanished and Magnus was able to breathe again. Then he heard a loud swish and the demon cried out loudly. When he opened his eyes again, Magnus thought that he was seeing an angel standing in front of him. 

The seraph blade in Alec's hand was shining and the light made his skin seem even paler than it normally was. His hair was messed up and he was breathing heavily, as if he'd been running for a long time. He just wanted to say something when the demon who'd cut Magnus' arm ran towards them again. 

With a determined expression on his face, Alec jumped over Magnus and swung his sword. The demon wanted to hit him with his claws too, but the shadowhunter was too fast. He cut off his opponents’ arm, dodged away from his spiky tail and stabbed the demon with glowing eyes. 

When he turned to Magnus again, he couldn't stop himself from looking at Alec wide-eyed. He'd become a very good shadowhunter during the previous months. On their first meeting, Alec hadn't even killed a demon (at least that's what Isabelle and Jace told Magnus). And now he was just as good as Jace or his sister.

"Magnus, are you all right?" Alec asked, concern filling his voice, but he couldn't go to him. Another demon attacked and he had to turn around to fight against it. 

Suddenly, Magnus realized that he was still sitting on the ground. Apparently, the wound on his arm was worse than the thought because the loss of blood made him feel dizzy. Nevertheless, he couldn't just let Alec fight against the remaining demons alone. 

He tried to stand up and was surprised about how little his arm was hurting. When the demon had injured Magnus, the light of the street lamp had become weaker and now he concentrated on it, so that he and Alec were able to see the demons better. 

In that moment, another demon came running towards Magnus, but now he was prepared for it. He took a step back quickly and ducked when the demon tried to hit him with his tail. When he wanted to throw himself at Magnus, he rolled to the side and in one fluid motion, the warlock stood up again and shot a blue flash of light at his enemy. 

The last two demons froze and looked at Magnus appraisingly. Magnus just wanted to attack them too, when one of them bared his teeth. "There will be a time when you'll wish that you would have died during the last great war, warlock. The time of big changes will come and you won't have to wait long for it. It'll come very soon." The words surprised Magnus, but he didn't give them the time to plan another movement. One of them also was hit by a flash of light, while the other demon was covered in blue sparks that melted his body. 

After they had dissolved, Magnus began to feel weak and he fell to his knees. 

"Magnus!" Alec cried in a frightened way and caught him before he could hit the ground too hard. 

"Apparently, I've overestimated myself a little bit." He muttered and his voice wasn't more than a whisper. 

"Should I help you? Do you need my strength for healing yourself?" Alec whispered and Magnus could see the fear in his eyes. 

"You're wounded too, Alec." His boyfriend had a long cut on his waist and Magnus looked at it with a frown, but Alec just shook his head. 

"It's nothing." He answered automatically and Magnus wanted to roll his eyes. However, he didn't have the strength to do it anymore. "Please, let me help you!" Alec begged, the fear on his face was obvious now. And were that tears in his eyes, or did he just imagine that? How often had Magnus seen him cry? 

"Give me your hand." The warlock murmured as a sign that he gave in. With a relieved look on his face, Alec took Magnus' hand and squeezed it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the two of them began to glow in a soft blue light. He felt Alec’s strength flow into him. It didn't last very long and after the glow vanished, Magnus was able to sit up again and he felt much better than before. "And now you have to take care of yourself." He would have loved to do it himself, but he was still too weak to heal Alec.

Alec still was too delighted to argue, so he took his  _stele_ and began to draw an  _Iratze_ on his waist. Magnus watched the wound close itself and nodded at Alec. "Better." He muttered and before the other man could answer, Magnus had grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. Their lips met and for some time, they just kissed each other slowly, each one of them happy about the fact that nothing happened to them. 

When they pulled apart, they were both a little breathless. "I love you. And thank you for saving me." Magnus whispered and Alec smiled at him. 

"I love you too. And you don't have to thank me for that. You should've known that I'll keep an eye on you after what happened a few days ago." 

"And for that, I think I have to apologize. I didn't take your thoughts too seriously, did I?" 

Alec shook his head quickly. "I wasn't sure about it myself. But now we know that these demons wanted to..." He fell silent and swallowed.  _Kill you..._ Even though Alec didn't say it, they both knew that it was true. The demons wanted to kill Magnus for some reason and they had to find out what it was soon. 

"Did you hear what the last demon said to me?" Magnus asked quietly and avoided looking into Alec's eyes. 

"Yes, of course. That was why I didn't intervene immediately." Alec touched Magnus' cheek and made him look into his eyes again. "Do you know what it means?" 

"No idea. But I think it could be important." Magnus admitted and frowned. 

"We have to inform the others."  _The others..._ Magnus thought. Not the clave. That also showed how much Alec had changed since he and Magnus met each other for the first time. 

The warlock nodded. "This wasn't the last attack. There'll be more of them and next time, there could be even more demons or more dangerous ones." 

"You know that I won't lose sight of you in the next time, right?" Alec's blue eyes met Magnus' green ones and he nodded. 

"Just like I won't stop keeping an eye on you." He answered and now Alec seemed to be surprised. Apparently, he didn't think that Magnus would be okay with him trying to protect him all the time. After all, he knew that Magnus was one of the most powerful warlocks and didn't like to be protected. 

"You're amazing." Alec murmured and shook his head with an unbelievingly smile. 

"That's right." Magnus grinned and tried to stand up slowly. Luckily, it worked very well and he was even strong enough to let the lamps shine a little brighter. Alec seemed to have given him much of his strength. "We should go to the institute and tell the others what happened. Or do you think that they won't like being disturbed at this late hour?" 

"They would be angry if we wouldn't go to them right now." Alec replied and took Magnus' hand. He raised his eyebrows slowly and there was concern in his beautiful blue eyes. "Are you sure that everything's okay? I mean, can you make it to the institute?" 

Magnus smiled slightly. "I'm fine, you can believe me when I say it." He kissed Alec on the cheek and together, they began to walk into the direction Magnus had come from, away from their apartment in Brooklyn. 

They were both very silent and thought about the words of the demon Magnus had killed. 

_There will be a time when you'll wish that you would have died during the last great war, warlock. The time of big changes will come and you won't have to wait long for it. It'll come very soon..._


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Alec and Magnus entered the institute as quietly as possible. They didn't want to wake Maryse (if she was there) because they wanted to tell Clary, Isabelle and Jace what happened first. Simon wouldn't be there, so they had to tell him the story in the morning. 

After everything that had happened to him, Simon was happy about the fact that his mother didn't remember that he'd been a vampire. He was able to go home again and he wanted to live there for some time before he moved to the institute. 

For a shadowhunter and a warlock, it wasn't very difficult to walk through the corridors without being heard. Of course there were also warlocks who couldn't be very quiet, but Magnus had much experience and so he didn't make any noises. When Alec turned around to look at him once – probably to make sure that he was still standing on his feet and didn't break down – there was a smile on his lips and Magnus thought that he saw an impressed expression on his face. 

They reached Jace's room first and Alec knocked on the door. Magnus stopped a few metres behind him, so that he couldn't be seen in the shine of the witchlight very well. He knew that Jace wouldn't be surprised to see him there, but the warlock thought that it was just more polite to let Alec explain everything to his  _parabatai_ . 

To their surprise, it wasn't Jace who opened the door of his room. Alec took a step back when he saw Clary standing in the doorway and Magnus raised an eyebrow silently. 

"What are you doing here?" Clary frowned and looked from Alec to Magnus and then back to Alec again. "You know that it's late, right?" 

"We need to talk to you." Alec whispered without paying attention to her question. "Something happened that you should know about. Can you wake Jace?" 

"What happened?" Clary seemed to be more awake now and she looked at her bare feet for half-a-second. 

"We'll tell you everything when Izzy's awake too." Alec promised and Magnus couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly. It would be very nice to wake up Isabelle. "Can we meet in my old room?" 

Clary nodded and looked into the darkness of Jace's room. "He won't be happy about having to get up again." She murmured and turned around to walk away. 

Alec looked at Magnus and raised his eyebrows. "One person less to wake." 

Magnus nodded. "Isabelle won't be that easy, right?" 

The witchlight made Alec's amazing blue eyes sparkle as he shook his head. "You'll have to hold this for me. I think I'll need both hands to defend myself." 

When Magnus took the light from Alec, it began to shine in the colours of a rainbow. "And that doesn't irritate you?" He asked a little insecure. Now that Alec knew that this happened because of Magnus' father, he didn't like him seeing it. 

"Why should it bother me?" Alec asked quietly and took Magnus' free hand. He squeezed it and smiled. "It's beautiful." 

That surprised Magnus and without thinking of it, he grabbed Alec's shoulders, pressed him against a wall and kissed him fiercely. Alec kissed him back and wrapped his arms around Magnus' waist. A little moan escaped his lips and when they pulled apart after a few moments, they were both breathless. 

"I love you." Magnus whispered into Alec's ear and kissed his cheek again. 

"I love you too." Alec looked deeply into Magnus' eyes and the warlock felt as if he would be drowning in their blue depths. Suddenly, a worried expression appeared on Alec's face and his grip around his waist tightened. "You're really okay, right?" His voice was shaking, even if he tried very hard to hide it. 

"Everything's alright." Magnus answered quickly and a reassuring smile appeared on his lips. "After all, I'm with you." 

Slowly, Alec relaxed again. "We should wake Isabelle, shouldn't we?" 

Magnus nodded. "If we don't want Clary and Jace to be there first, we should." 

With a sigh, the two let go of each other and continued to walk towards Isabelle's room. When they arrived there, Alec knocked again and took a step back quickly. To Magnus, it seemed as if he was getting ready to defend himself from being hit. Then the door opened and Magnus couldn't stop himself from staring at Isabelle wide-eyed. 

She was wearing a black nightdress with white flourishing on the arms and to be honest, her hair was a total mess. The look on her face didn't make her appearance any better because right now, Isabelle Lightwood looked like an angel who wanted revenge for something really terrible that happened to her. Or... no! Magnus had to correct himself. She looked like a witch. Even though it wasn't nice to think something like this, she looked like a witch to him. That was it.

Alec had been right. She tried to hit him in the stomach and if he'd still been holding the witchlight, she would've reached her goal. But now Alec was able to catch the hands of his sister and after a few moments of struggle, Isabelle calmed down. 

She looked at Alec wide-eyed and when her gaze flickered to Magnus, she frowned at him and the witchlight he was holding. Apparently, its colours surprised her as well. Magnus didn't have the intention to tell her about the reason why it was shining like this. Alec knew why it happened and that was enough to him. It was everything that mattered. 

"What are you doing here?" The same question Clary had asked them before, yet it sounded completely different. While Clary's voice had been surprised and confused, Isabelle's tone was as sharp as a potsherd and if it would have been possible, it would have slashed Alec and Magnus immediately. 

"There's been another demon attack." Alec explained quickly and Magnus wasn't surprised that he told his sister what happened first. Isabelle wouldn't come to listen to their story without having a good reason for it. "They wanted to kill Magnus." 

He said it in a neutral tone, but Magnus could see the tension in his boyfriend's body and Alec's hands were shaking. He would have liked to see his eyes as well, but that wasn't possible because he still stood a few feet behind him. 

"What..." Isabelle looked at her brother with wide eyes and didn't know what to say. Then her gaze flickered to Magnus and he could see the shock in her eyes when she saw his ripped clothes. "Oh Alec!" She hugged her brother tightly and after a few seconds, he gave up his tensed posture. He hid his face in the mess of her hair but pulled away quickly. 

"Clary and Jace will meet us in Alec's old room. Maybe you want to change your clothes first?" Magnus asked and raised his eyebrows at Isabelle when Alec turned away to hide his expression from the two of them. 

Isabelle looked at her nightdress and nodded immediately. It seemed as if she hadn't been aware of the fact that she wore something  _like that_ . "Oh, yes, I'll do that." She shot Magnus' a forcible look and he understood. He should comfort Alec. Right now. 

When the door closed behind her, Magnus turned around and wrapped his arms around Alec, who was standing with his back to him. "You don't have to worry anymore, Alec. I'm fine. You saved me, remember?" He whispered into his ear and kissed Alec's neck softly. 

Alec touched his folded hands on his chest. "I know." He sighed. "But they were so close to –" 

"Stop!" Magnus interrupted him sharply and he let Alec turn around in his arms, so that they could look into each other's eyes. "Don't say that. They weren't successful with their task. They didn't hurt me very much. I broke down because I overestimated myself, so it was my fault. And even if that wouldn't have happened, nothing would have been  _your_ fault, Alec." 

"I wasn't there to help you right from the beginning of the attack." Alec protested and Magnus looked at him forcefully. 

"Stop blaming yourself for what happened! You're not going to lose me, I promise. And the next time, I won't be alone. You'll be with me and then we'll show those demons what a shadowhunter and a warlock are capable of. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?" Magnus tried to cheer up Alec desperately and smiled at him. "After all, we're a team." 

For a few seconds, Alec just looked at Magnus silently. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. "You're right. I think I'm being stupid again." 

Magnus smile grew wider and now it reached his eyes. "Finally someone who agrees with me! I've always said that you Nephilim are stupid." 

After those words, Alec had to smile too. 

* * *

"And what are we going to do now?" Clary asked and looked at Alec and Magnus wide-eyed. "I mean, they can return any time. You can't just walk around out there anymore. That isn't safe." 

"We have to inform the clave." Alec said determinedly and nobody contradicted. This was really serious and they couldn't handle the situation alone. 

"You all know what this means." Jace murmured and all eyes turned to him. "We'll have to go to Idris. All the representatives of the shadowhunters will come. At least there are more attacks of demons all over the world. The warlocks on your meeting said so too, didn't they?" 

Magnus nodded slowly. "However, they didn't pay much attention to it. To some downworlders, the demons aren't very important. For them, the Nephilim and other creatures are the real enemies because they can be defeated and don't resolve themselves immediately. Let me say that they are rather... secular-oriented." 

There was a fine smile on Alec's lips, but Isabelle surveyed Magnus thoughtfully. "Even if they don't care very much, they can't deny the fact that the demons are appearing more often." She stated and the others nodded. 

"But will they believe us?" Clary looked at all of them doubtfully. "At least we can't really prove what happened." 

"You forget that Magnus' a warlock." Alec said and squeezed his hand. They were sitting on Alec's former bed together, while Isabelle occupied the chair and Clary and Jace were leaning on the windowsill. "He can show them what happened." 

Magnus nodded. "That won't be a problem. Even if I don't think that they won't believe us. Everyone has noticed the demon attacks and after all that you've been through, your word's not weightless anymore. Why should you lie to them? You've proven many times on which side you're standing. And they can't ignore my story. It would be impolite to ignore a warlock and besides, I'm working with the shadowhunters for more than one hundred years now and in all that time, I didn't do anything to harm them." 

"So we'll try it?" Isabelle asked and Jace nodded. 

"Of course we'll do it." He corrected her and smiled slightly. Apparently, he liked the fact that it was getting exciting again. Stupid Nephilim... 

"And when?" 

"Tomorrow morning." Alec replied. "Dad will be here too, that will make everything easier." 

"Then you'll tell them what happened and I'll inform Simon." Clary suggested, but Isabelle shook her head eagerly. 

"I'll talk to Simon. You can go with the others."

First, Magnus thought that Clary wanted to protest. However, she seemed to think about it again and then she nodded a little reluctantly. "Fine." 

"We should go to bed then." Jace stood up solemnly. Alec and Magnus looked at him scornfully, but he ignored them when he left the room with Clary. 

"I don't think that I'll make it to our apartment." Magnus murmured when he was alone with Alec again. 

"Me neither." Alec agreed. "Do you want to stay here? This has been my room for most of my life and I don't think that it will bother anyone if you stay here too." 

Magnus chuckled softly. "Of all the people, you should know best that I don't care if my actions bother others." 

Alec laughed and laid down next to Magnus. The warlock wrapped his arms around him immediately and together, they fell asleep. 

* * *

The creature knelt in front of him and looked to the ground. It was shaking nervously and the master already thought that something went wrong. 

"Master..." It hissed and for a few seconds, the creature hesitated again. 

"What is it, my servant?" The master tried to sound friendly, but it didn't work very well. 

"The warlock escaped usss..." Apparently, the creature wanted to say something else, but it swallowed thickly.

"Yes?" He tried to be patient, but nevertheless, the knife reached his hand. 

"Two times." 

The knife was sticking in the creature's head now. There was a scrunch when it hit the floor completely and without looking at it again, the master took his knife and cleaned it with a tissue. 

So the demons had failed and it hadn't been possible to make the shadowhunters and downworlders fight against each other. The plan to gain more time hadn't been successful. 

_We have to attack more quickly..._ he thought and walked through the empty streets slowly. While doing that, he didn't leave any footprints in the dust. 

Their last chance was to surprise the Nephilim just as much as the downworlders. Because of the failure of the first plan, they would fight together, side by side, and that would make everything more difficult. 

Well, unless... 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I donn't own the characters or places!

Maryse and Robert were shocked by the things Alec and the others told them. 

To their surprise (and Magnus' satisfaction), they believed everything right from the beginning and had no doubts about it. Robert decided that a meeting of all Nephilim in Idris was necessary and he left immediately to organise everything. While he was doing that, Clary and Jace went to tell Jocelyn and Luke what happened. 

So the last persons in the library were Maryse, Magnus and Alec, who wasn't happy about the situation. He still didn't know if his parents accepted Magnus completely. Obviously, they did, but did they really like the fact that their son, a shadowhunter, was going out with the High Warlock of Brooklyn? He couldn't tell... 

"It's not enough just to inform the Nephilim." Magnus said to Maryse and she turned around to look at them (she had stopped it when they started holding hands). "The other downworlders have to know what's going on too. And when there's a meeting in Idris, the representatives of the others have to be there as well. We can't make any decisions without them." 

After a few moments of silence, Alec's mother nodded. "It would be against the accords not to talk to them first. But do you think that the werewolves, vampires and faeries will believe your story? And if they do, will they care? And what will the other warlocks think?" 

Right now, Alec would have liked to slap his mother. She couldn't speak to Magnus like that! Even if he wouldn't have been his boyfriend, his status as the High Warlock and representative of the warlocks int eh council forbid it. But what could he say to her? Suddenly, he felt Magnus squeezing his hand and Alec looked at him unobtrusively. He was looking at Maryse patiently and the smile hadn't left his face. How could he be so relaxed? Maybe four hundred years made you think about other people differently. Or Magnus was just good at hiding his real feelings... 

"You don't have to worry about the Children of Lilith." Even though Magnus was smiling, his voice was cold as ice. "I'm sure that they'll believe me. And the Children of the Moon won't be a problem as well. Their leader, Maia, trusts us and she'll do everything she can to stop the demons from attacking us. I'll do my best to convince the Children of the Night and if I'm lucky, they'll help us too. Raphael's successor, Lily isn't as inflexible as most vampires and I hope that she learned much from her predecessor. The Fair Folk won't be a problem. They aren't able to decide anything by themselves, so they have to do the same as the others do." 

Alec was fascinated my Magnus' behaviour. He'd explained everything in a neutral tone, yet there was this coldness in his voice. And the smile on his lips, which made everything even more peculiar. Alec knew that he wouldn't be able to act like this around other people. After the things his mother had said, he would have become angry and it would've been difficult to explain anything at all. 

Luckily, Magnus was holding his hand. He didn't know what he would have said or done if the older man wasn’t there. 

For a few seconds, Maryse closed her eyes. Then she sighed and sat down in an armchair. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like this." 

Alec looked at his mother wide-eyed and he could see that Magnus was surprised as well because he couldn't keep his friendly expression completely. He frowned at his mother and scratched himself on the temple. 

"I think the entire situation makes me more nervous than I want to admit. The last war has ended only a few months ago and now we're talking about getting ready to fight again..." 

Magnus' expression softened and he took a few steps towards her. "You know that none of those things is your fault." He whispered and leaned on one of the bookshelves, so that Alec was able to stand next to him. He was grateful for that. If he would've sat down in the other armchair, Alec would have to stand because there were only two of them. 

"I know, but I have to deal with them either way, haven't I? Sometimes, I think that my entire life has consisted of wars and problems. First there was Valentine, then he returned after we thought that he was dead and then his son tried to destroy everything we know and love. Life isn't fair." Even though she seemed to look at Magnus and Alec, he thought that she wasn't seeing them. His mother was lost in her memories. "The people you love change, or sometimes they die. You can't imagine how much I miss Max.." 

At the last words, Alec winced and a book nearly fell to the floor. Magnus caught it before it could make any noises and put it back into its place. Then he wrapped his arms around Alec tightly to comfort him. It worked because he was able to relax again. The thought of his little brother still hurt, but Magnus' presence made it more bearable. 

"If you want to believe me or not, I can." Magnus said softly and Maryse shook her head. First, she looked at them in confusion, but after a few seconds, her eyes became clear again and Alec could see that her mind was right here, in this room once more. 

"And I'm sure that Alec can understand you as well. At least he has to cope with the same loss as you. I didn't know Max, but in my life I've lost many beloved persons. It isn't always easy to live forever. I know that you miss him very much and that feeling won't change, but you can't just give up because of that. I'm sure that he wouldn't have wanted it." 

Maryse sighed again and Alec tried to look into Magnus' eyes. They were shining and he saw that his boyfriend was thinking of people he'd met many years ago. 

"You're right." His mother stood up again and now she seemed to be more determined than before. "Are you going to talk to the other downworlders?" 

Magnus nodded and a little smile appeared on his lips. "I will. And at the meeting in Idris, the representatives of the downworlders will do their best to support you at making decisions." 

"Then you should go and organize your encounter. I don't think that we have much time until we have to go to Idris." 

* * *

Two days later, Magnus and Alec met at Taki's to have lunch together. 

Alec had been at the institute with Isabelle and Simon. Clary and Jace wanted to organize some things for their trip to Idris, so he and his sister took over the task to train Simon. It went surprisingly well and Alec had to admit that Simon would be a good shadowhunter in the future. 

In the meantime, Magnus had been searching for downworlders (mostly werewolves and vampires) who wanted to join their encounter in the evening. It was important that many of them were there because they all had to know what was going on. Of course Maia and Lily had promised to invite as many people as possible as well, but Magnus wanted to make sure that enough of them were there. 

"So have you found many people who want to come tonight?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows. 

Magnus nodded and took a sip from his lemonade. "Well, most vampires of the Dumort are going to be there and Maia takes many people from her pack to the meeting. I found some more vampires and about three other werewolves, but one of them wasn't sure if he wants to come. And of course Catarina will be there and maybe a warlock from Tokyo who was at our meeting last week as well." 

Alec bowed his head in surprise. "I didn't expect you to find so many people." He admitted and his cheeks turned a little red. A wide smile appeared on Magnus' face and he reached over the table to take Alec's hand. 

"You know that you're talking to Magnus Bane, right?" 

Alec laughed. "Yes, and I'm happy about it." He felt Magnus squeezing his hand before he let go of it to grab his fork. 

Now Alec looked at Magnus wide-eyed and tried to look shocked. "You want to stab me with your fork?" He asked and the other man froze, his spaghetti nearly in his mouth. 

"Um... yes?" Magnus asked, and even though he knew that Alec was joking, he looked a little uncertain. "At least I can turn it into a very dangerous weapon." Now Alec's beloved grin appeared on Magnus' lips and they both had to laugh loudly. Other guests turned around to look at them angrily, but they didn't care. 

When he was with Magnus, Alec always felt as if nothing could happen to him. 

"I don't want you to go to the meeting alone." He admitted and Magnus just nodded. 

"I know." 

"It's too dangerous." 

"That's why I planned to take you with me." 

"And...  _what_ ? I can come with you?" Alec looked at him in surprise. Normally, the downworlders didn't want a shadowhunter to be at their meetings. They didn't trust him very much and sometimes, they were even hostile. "Won't that be a problem?" 

Smiling, Magnus shook his head. "Nope. I've talked to Maia and Lily about it and they think that it's a good idea. So a representative of everyone will be there. Of course it won't be as official as the meeting in Idris, but that doesn't matter right now." 

"And the faeries? What will they think?" 

"That's not important. They've nothing to say anymore.” Magnus said it lightly, but he didn’t sound too happy while saying this. Alec knew that he hated the Cold Piece, just as most other downworlders. “And I've organised the encounter in a bar that isn't too dangerous for shadowhunters. But even if it would be, you wouldn't have to worry. At least you're with me and nobody would dare to attack the High Warlock of Brooklyn. They know what I'm capable of." The sneaky grin made Alec's heart race and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. 

"Well,  _I_ know what you're capable of." 

Magnus' grin grew wider and he leaned forward a little bit. "Since when did you stop being so shy?" 

* * *

Alec had been right, there were  _many_ people at the meeting of the downworlders. 

Most of them were vampires and werewolves, but he could also see some warlocks and even a few faeries, who didn't look very happy. 

Alec was standing next to Magnus. He was sitting on the counter and many people greeted him before they went searching a place to sit or stand. Alec received many distrustful looks, but nobody said anything impolite to him. Maybe the fact that he was a shadowhunter and with Magnus kept them from doing so. Of course there were also werewolves, like Maia and Bat, who were very friendly to him, but that were exceptions. 

The tension in the room became more tangible after some time and when most of the downworlders who'd promised to come were there, Magnus stood up and cleared his throat loudly. 

"Welcome here, to our important meeting in this... wonderful pub." He began and the others became silent. "I think you all know why we are here, which is why I'll get to the point immediately. In the last few weeks, the demons have started to attack more often and more aggressive. Even if the Nephilim were there, they weren't scared or showed any signs of hesitation as it used to be. We have to find out why their behaviour has changed so much and that's why we have to help the shadowhunters at stopping the demons before they'll become a real threat." 

For a few moments, there was silence. But then a few people started to whisper to each other and Magnus leaned back against the counter. "Now I'm curious to see their reactions." He murmured to Alec and a little smile appeared on his lips. "I think that I already know how this will end, but even I can be wrong." 

"What do you think will happen?" Alec asked quietly and leaned towards the other man, so that he could understand him better. 

"Maia and her pack will be on our side right from the beginning. I know that because she said it to me a little while ago. She doesn't want another war after everything she's lost during the last one and that's understandable. Lily and the clan will hesitate first. However, their decision has already been made two days ago, when I first contacted them. They'll help us too. In contrast to her predecessors, Lily isn't eager to have to fight again. She wants to change the life of the vampires and lead them into a new age of peace." 

Alec couldn't hide that he was impressed by the way Magnus had analyzed the situation before it had taken place. "And the faeries?" 

Magnus shrugged. "They won't be thrilled, but what can they do? Their representative, Phillip, isn't able to decide anything after what happened a few months ago." He looked around quickly to make sure that the faeries weren't sitting too close to them and when he saw them in a dark corner at the back of the room, his smile returned. "Besides, I don't think that they like being here." He pointed with his head into the direction the three men were sitting and Alec turned around to follow his gaze. 

Magnus seemed to be right. The faeries were sitting apart from the others and nobody paid attention to them. The one in the middle (Alec thought that it was Phillip, their representative), wasn't very tall and had long, red hair. The expression on his face was bored and a little arrogant. It seemed as if they thought that being here was something very bad. Suddenly, Phillip looked up and his grey eyes met Alec's. He raised his thin eyebrows, as if he wanted to ask who he was. While he did that, an inviting smile spread on his lips.

Alec heard Magnus growling angrily and then he felt two strong arms wrapping themselves around him. He couldn't see the look on the warlock’s face, but it must have been furious because the smile on Phillip's lips began to vanish slowly. All at once, the faerie froze and there was realization in his eyes. 

The expression on the man’s face changed so quickly that Alec nearly thought that he'd only imagined the smile on his lips. Now it was cold and even angry, which surprised the shadowhunter for a few seconds. 

Until he realized that he'd killed Meliorn, the former representative of the Fair Folk. 

Apparently, the fact that he was with Magnus showed Phillip who he was. The faerie whispered something to his two companions and they turned to look at Alec too. It seemed as if one of them wanted to stand up, but Phillip made a gesture with his hand and he sat down again. They kept looking at him for a few more moments, but then Magnus pulled away from Alec and took a step forward. He could see that his hands were glowing in a faint blue light and the cat-like eyes were shining dangerously. The message was clear and then, the representative of the faeries shrugged and raised his hands as a sign of capitulation. 

The three men formed a circle and began to talk to each other, so that no one else could understand what they were saying. 

Slowly, Magnus turned around to look at him again. The angry expression on his face vanished and now Alec could see the concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?" He whispered and Alec nodded. 

"Of course I am." He muttered. "That was nothing." 

A strange look appeared on the warlock’s face and Alec couldn't say what he was thinking. "Maybe it was... I'm not sure. We'll talk about it later, alright? I think we should continue with the meeting. Otherwise, Phillip and his companions could get stupid ideas." He kissed Alec on the cheek and took his hand. 

The rest of the meeting was exactly like Magnus had suspected. 

Maia and the werewolves said that they wanted to help the shadowhunters immediately, while Lily and her clan had to be convinced first. In the end, the Children of the Moon and of the Night convinced the Fair Folk together, which was strange to Alec and it fascinated him to see it. The few warlocks who were there didn't say very much. They supported Magnus and Alec could see the admiration in their eyes.

At the end of the meeting, they had decided that the representatives would tell the Nephilim that they were ready to help them as best as possible. If a war would be necessary, they would fight at their side and nothing could change that decision. 

Even though Alec could just watch the downworlders and their discussion, he was glad that he could be there with Magnus. The meeting had shown him a new side of them and now, he thought that he was able to understand them better. 

On their way home, Magnus and Alec didn't see any demons. The only dangerous creature they met was Chairman Meow who'd been waiting for them and seemed to be very hungry because he tried to eat Alec's shoelace. 


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The next morning, the shadowhunters, Maia, Lily, Phillip and Magnus met at the institute to travel to Idris. Jocelyn and Luke were there too and Alec knew that Clary and Jace had persuaded them to come. 

When Phillip arrived, Magnus had watched him angrily and Alec had to squeeze his hand to calm him down again. They hadn't talked about the events of the previous evening yet and Alec knew that they had to do it soon. Apparently, the faeries were really mad at him. 

After Maryse, Robert and Maia finished talking about something in private, they turned to Magnus and Alec's mother looked at him questioningly. 

"Will you open the portal for us?" She asked and the warlock nodded. 

Magnus let go of Alec's hand and stepped forward, which made his long, glittering travelling cloak fly in the wind. Of course his hair was spiky as usual and he wore blue eye shadow, which Alec hadn't seen in a while. Right now, he reminded Alec of the Magnus Bane he'd met many months ago on the party of the downworlders. How different he'd been there... 

"I can't wait to see what the other shadowhunters will say." Jace's voice snapped Alec out of his thoughts and he turned around to look at his  _parabatai_ . "How was the meeting yesterday? We didn't have a chance to talk about it since you returned to your apartment in Brooklyn afterwards." 

"It went well." Alec murmured and tried to organize his memories. "They'll all help us at trying to defeat the demons." 

"You mean at  _defeating_ the demons." Jace corrected him firmly and frowned. "Are you all right? You seem a little distracted." He said more quietly and put a hand on Alec's shoulder. 

"I'm fine. I just think that it's getting too much for me at the moment." Alec admitted quietly.

Jace raised his eyebrows. "Why is that? The last time you said that to me was in another dimension when you didn't even know if Magnus was still alive. Now he's healthy, here with us, ready to fight and you have doubts about the entire situation? Who are you? I thought that my  _parabatai_ was more courageous than that!" 

Alec sighed. "You know that I don't mean it like that. It's just –" 

"Are you guys coming?" Isabelle called loudly and the two of them turned around. Magnus had opened the portal and Jocelyn and Luke just disappeared through it. 

Jace looked at Alec forcefully before he went towards the others. 

For a few seconds, Alec just stood there and looked into the blue depths of the portal. Then he sighed and shook his head. Jace was good at causing misunderstandings, wasn't he? 

Magnus and Alec were the last persons to step through the portal. While doing that, Magnus took Alec's hand and smiled at him. 

The next thing he saw was the Angel's Square in the center of Alicante. The sun was just rising above the city and everything was bathed in orange light. The demon towers were shining brightly and Alec had to turn away because the light was dazzling him. 

"How did you manage to bring us here?" He asked Magnus and raised his eyebrows. "I thought that portals couldn't be opened within the city." 

"Normally, they can't." Magnus explained with a smile. "But I've got my tricks." He winked at Alec, who knew that he would get an explanation later. So he also smiled and kissed the warlock on the cheek. 

* * *

"You can't be serious!" An old shadowhunter with grey hair said loudly and Alec turned in his seat to look at him. They were in the Accords Hall and he was sitting between Jace and Isabelle, who were allowed to take part in the meetings now. Next to Isabelle, Alec could see Simon and he knew that Clary was sitting on Jace's other side. 

Magnus wasn't there with them because he had to take his seat with the other representatives of the downworlders. He was sitting between Maia and Lily and didn't look very excited. Alec asked himself if he was even listening to the things that were said in the hall. 

"So you tell us that we have to take action just because more demons attack us?" 

"Not only more demons." Jia Penhallow corrected him. "They are getting stronger and we think that they have a goal they want to reach." 

"You want to tell us that  _demons_ can have targets?" A woman who was sitting a few rows in front of Alec asked, but he wasn't able to see her. 

"Yes, that's what I said, Eileen." Jia's tone was colder than before and she looked at the other woman strictly. 

"And what should these goals be?"

"Why do we even discuss the goals of the demons?" A too familiar voice asked loudly and Alec knew immediately who had just spoken. Magnus was sitting more upright now and the concentrated look on his face told the shadowhunter that he'd been listening all the time, even though it hadn't looked like that. Apparently, he wanted to avoid telling the shadowhunters that the demons were pursuing him. And now Alec also remembered that he didn't tell the other downworlders that they wanted him as well. 

"Maybe because they're important to us and can give us information about their next attack, warlock?" The man who had started complaining spat out the last word and looked at Magnus angrily. Before anyone was able to say something, someone else stood up from his seat. 

"We are not here to insult each other, Frederic." Maryse announced and Alec looked at his mother in surprise. He always thought that she didn't like Magnus very much. Maybe he'd been unfair to his mother... 

"Maryse is right." Jia looked at Frederic forcibly and after a few moments, he looked down at his hands. "We aren't here to argue. We have to make important decisions and that's why we have to talk about the things we can to do stop the demons from attacking. If they have goals or not, we have to fight against them."  _She doesn't talk about the attacks on Magnus..._ Alec realized and looked at his boyfriend with raised eyebrows. 

Somehow, Magnus seemed to know that Alec was looking at him because the cat-like eyes met his own and a little grin appeared on the warlock’s face. Did he just wink at him or had Alec imagined that? 

"But what can we do? It's not possible to influence the appearance of the demons." 

"Can't you just summon them?" Another shadowhunter asked and Magnus shook his head slowly, while Maia shot the man a reproachful look. 

"That wouldn't be very intelligent." Lily murmured thoughtfully and now many people in the room started to talk at the same time, which made it difficult to understand anything. 

"Why don't you just tell us what they want?" 

"We have to get them somehow! If the warlocks are able to summon them, we should let them do it! It's the best option we have!" 

"Do you really think that it's necessary to start a war against the demons? In the past months, we've already fought enough battles!" 

"In my entire life, the attacks of the demons have become stronger. Why do we have to react to it now? Isn't that something normal?" 

"If we don't do something, they'll take over the world someday!" 

"Who just said that?" 

Alec wasn't able to assign even one of the voices. It was too loud in the hall and many shadowhunters had stood up. He exchanged a look with Jace who was looking around and seemed to be lost in thoughts. Clary watched her mother and Luke. They were sitting next to Maryse and apparently, they also belonged to the few silent people in the hall. 

When Alec was able to see Magnus again, he felt relieve rush over him. He didn't know why, but somehow the tension in the air made him shiver. Magnus was talking to Maia and Lily. The two women stood next to his seat and didn't look very happy. To his surprise, Phillip, who was still sitting on his chair, looked pretty satisfied. The amusement in his gaze made Alec angry. He was about to stand up when he felt someone touching his arm. 

Izzy looked at him warningly and shook her head. Then Simon bent forward and pointed at Jia. She seemed to be furious and with one loud crack, one of the books that have been lying next to her landed on the floor. 

The entire hall fell silent immediately and the Consul smiled with satisfaction. The people who were still standing sat down quickly and for a few moments, nobody said a word. 

"Thank you." Jia looked around in the hall and her gaze stopped at the representatives of the downworlders a little longer. "I think we should continue with the meeting. And if anyone interrupts us again, I am forced to make him or her leave this hall. So were did we stop?" She looked at Magnus, who smiled at her widely. 

"I was asked to summon some demons for you, I think." He announced and turned to look at the other shadowhunters. "And just to make sure everyone understands what I have to say now, I'll stand up." He did. "That's not possible." The warlock hinted a bow and sat down again. Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling and if the situation wouldn't have been so serious, he would have laughed at the behaviour of his boyfriend. 

"And what will we do then?" Another man asked, but before anyone could answer the question, the tension in the room returned and it became so strong that Alec thought his head was going to burst. Without thinking about it, he pressed his hands on his temples and from the corner of his eyes, he could see that many others did it as well. 

Slowly, it was getting dark in the hall and a shadowhunter cried out anxiously. The tension decreased a little bit and Alec was able to look up again. Most people in the room were kneeling on the floor between their seats and it seemed as if they were in pain. 

The only exceptions were the older and more experienced shadowhunters, which included Alec and his friends. They had already seen worse than a room which was getting dark all of a sudden. When his eyes found Magnus, Alec knew that something was completely wrong. Instead of going down to his knees, the warlock was standing and he looked at the ceiling. His expression was a mixture of fear and disbelief and Alec wanted nothing more than to run to him, but it wasn't possible. The other shadowhunters blocked his way, so he just followed Magnus' gaze. 

It seemed as if the entire upper part of the hall was filled with black smoke that was circulating in slow motion. It the middle, it was as dark as possible and Alec thought that there was the shadow of a human figure in the smoke. 

"That is a very good question." A dark voice that was as cold as ice said and the whole building vibrated. "Let me tell you what  _I_ will do." 

No one said a word. Every person in the Accords Hall was frozen in shock and fear and right now, even the ones who'd fought Lilith weren't able to move. 

"I will give you three days. Three days until your lives will end and everything will be over. There will be no peace. No way out. You won't be able to change your fate. The era of the Nephilim will end and there is nothing you can do against it. Now my time is coming." 

The last words of the voice were still echoing through the air when the smoke vanished and the light returned as if nothing had happened. For a few more seconds, everything in the hall was silent and nobody dared to move. 

And then chaos broke out. 

Too many voices started to talk at the same time and Alec could hear people crying and yelling at each other. But he didn't care about them. And it wasn't important to him anymore if he had to shove people away to get to Magnus. 

He was kneeling on the floor and his cat-like eyes were wide. Alec could see the shock and fear in them and... something he couldn't really place. Was it despair?

"Magnus, are you alright? What happened?" Alec wrapped his arms around him tightly and in that moment, Magnus seemed to lose his strength. He sank back against Alec's chest and closed his eyes, while he shook his head in disbelief. 

"Is he okay?" Clary's voice asked behind Alec and then the others were kneeling next to them. They all looked very worried and Alec didn't even realize that the noises in the hall began to get lower. 

"I don't know." Alec murmured and touched Magnus' cheek softly. "Magnus?" He whispered and then the other man opened his eyes again. 

He only whispered three words. 

But that was enough. 

"Hell has come." 


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

It didn't take long until Magnus' words were repeated in the entire hall. 

_Hell has come..._

That was the first thing he'd been able to say. But what can you do when you hear the voice of a fallen angel? 

In his whole life, Magnus had only heard a few voices that were like the one which had just appeared in the Accords Hall. They belonged to Azazel, whom he'd summoned to find a way to break the bond between Jace and Sebastian, and Asmodeus, his father. At that thought, he couldn't stop himself from shivering again. The last meeting with his father didn't take place too long ago and it wasn't something Magnus liked to be reminded of. 

"Magnus?" Alec's hesitant voice took him back to reality and suddenly, he realized that everyone was silent. And they were looking at him. "Are you alright?" 

Apparently, that question had already been asked many times because Alec was looking very anxiously and even Jace seemed to be worried. Slowly, Magnus stood up again. He didn't want to scare the others by making quick movements. Presumably, they already thought that he was crazy. 

"Well,  _I'm_ fine. If everything else is okay is something we have to talk about, but nothing happened to me." He said loudly and he could see Alec and their friends relax a little bit. Of course the tension didn't vanish entirely. 

Magnus took Alec's hand and squeezed it with a small smile on his lips. "And how are you?" He asked in a low voice, so that only Alec could hear him. 

"Worried about you. And confused." The young shadowhunter frowned. "What was that?" 

Before Magnus could do or say anything, another voice behind his back addressed him. 

"I would like to know that too. And after your reaction I think that you know to whom that voice belonged." 

Jia was looking at Alec and Magnus with raised eyebrows and hesitantly, the other shadowhunters began to form a circle around them. Magnus understood that they wanted to know what was going on, but he would have preferred not to be the one who had to explain everything. 

Behind Jia's back, he could see Maia and Luke talking to each other quietly. Maia seemed to be scared, which was something Magnus hadn't seen in a while. After everything she'd been through, it was difficult to upset her. Right now, it looked like Luke wanted to calm her down and when Maia hugged him tightly, Magnus knew that he'd been successful. 

"Yes, I know it." Magnus murmured and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "And you can believe me when I say that you don't want to know it too. Maybe you should pray that I'm wrong." While saying his last words, he looked at Simon and the others significantly. Apparently, they didn't know if he was joking because their expressions were really strange. In every other situation, Magnus would have laughed, but now... 

"And who was it?" Alec asked after a few moments of hesitation and looked at him uneasily. 

"A fallen angel. The worst thing that can happen to you. Something you can't run away from. One of the evilest creatures in this and every other world. It was a Prince of Hell." 

His voice echoed through the hall and Magnus was surprised by the cold sound of it. 

"You can't be serious." Isabelle whispered and when Alec and Magnus turned around to look at her, they saw that she was very pale right now. Of course she also remembered their last encounter with one of the nine princes of hell. But next to Simon, everyone else in the hall looked really good. He was as white as a sheet and shivered uncontrollably. Magnus wondered how he was able to stand upright and when he turned his head a little bit, he saw that Clary was supporting him. The little girl didn't look very happy too and he shot her an encouraging look, even though he had not very much hope himself. 

"One of the nine?" Alec asked and looked at Magnus wide-eyed. 

"Yes, and if I'm right it was Belphegor, one of the demons we don't know that much about. When he is mentioned, you only get to know that he is the one who desired power most because he never got that much of it." He explained slowly. 

Now the other shadowhunters in the hall started to murmur and Magnus wasn't able to go on. When he looked at Alec again, he saw the fear in his beautiful blue eyes. Without thinking about it, he wrapped his arms around him and they kissed as if their lives would end right now. The kiss didn't last very long, but in this moment it was enough for the two of them. They knew that they loved each other and they would be together until the end and that was everything that mattered. 

Someone cleared his throat next to them and Magnus wasn't very happy to see Jace and the others standing in front of them. With a sigh, he pulled away from Alec just to wrap his arms around him from behind his back again, so that he was able to look at the others over Alec's shoulder. 

"How do you know that it was Belphegor?" Jace whispered and raised his eyebrows. 

" _The era of the Nephilim will end and there is nothing you can do against it. Now my time is coming._ " Magnus quoted darkly and narrowed his eyes. "The short speech was theatrical, wasn't it? Every story about him says that he likes to use big words and tends to repeat himself. And the fact that he only spoke about him and  _his time_ shows his urge to get more powerful. Normally, demons talk about themselves in the plural because they want to have the power for all of them." 

"Sounds like he's quite selfish." Clary noted and Magnus nodded. 

"That's right." 

"And why –" Isabelle would never be able to ask her question. In that moment, Jia clapped her hands loudly to make the people in the hall become quiet again. 

"Magnus, are you sure that it was Belphegor?" Maryse asked and raised her eyebrows anxiously. Normally, it would have satisfied him that not all shadowhunters were as cold as ice, but right now he only felt a dull feeling in his stomach. 

"Yes, I am." He answered and repeated the things he just said to Alec and the others. 

"I think he's right." Another voice said and everyone stared at Phillip in shock. Magnus also had nearly forgotten that the faerie was there and so he just raised his eyebrows at him. "The Fair Folk has its stories about the greater demons too and there is one about Belphegor which confirms all the features that were just mentioned. He only thinks about himself and when he works together with others, he uses them to get advantages. When they are not useful to him anymore, the other demons get killed and he searches for new ones to serve him. He doesn't want to share his power and that's what makes him so dangerous." 

"But why does he appear now?" Someone asked loudly and Magnus tried to find the woman in the crowd. When he finally spotted her, he could see that she didn't seem to be much older than Alec. 

"Let me be honest to you. I don't know. Maybe the events of the previous months have attracted his attention and he has decided to try to get more power too. Or he has planned everything a long time ago and now it seems to be the right moment? There are so many possibilities, but does it even matter? The important point is that he just appeared here in this hall, isn't it? And now we have to find out what we can do to keep him from destroying everything." 

"And what can we do? I mean, can a prince of hell even be defeated?" 

"Of course he can!" Jace answered loudly. "He may be a strong demon, but that doesn't change his nature. It just makes it more difficult to fight against and kill him." 

Magnus could see Clary looking at her boyfriend reproachfully and he knew that she didn't like the things Jace had said. 

"Is he right? Can we really defeat one of the greater demons?" Jia's tone was neutral, but he could see the curiosity in her eyes. The tension in the hall seemed to rise again as the shadowhunters turned to Magnus, eager to hear his answer.

He didn't like to make their hopes vanish. 

"No, I'm sorry that I have to say this, but  _we_ can't defeat him." 

It took some time until it was quiet enough again for anyone to speak and then Alec looked at Magnus in surprise. 

"You just said that  _we_ can't defeat him." He noticed and Magnus nodded. 

"That's right." 

"And who can do it?" Isabelle cut in quickly and took a step forward. 

"Only an angel can defeat a prince of hell. Even though the demons have fallen, there is still a connection between them and this makes it able for the angels to fight against and (if they're lucky) even kill the princes of hell. Of course no angel would be willing to help us." He added when everything was about to get loud again. "After we've called Raziel to get Glorious, they won't be happy to hear from us anymore." 

"So you say that there is a possibility to save ourselves, but we can't even try it?" 

"I didn't say that we can't try it." No one except Alec and their friends should hear his words. At that moment, it seemed as if something in the hall was exploding. All the people started to talk at the same time and chaos broke out. 

Jia, Robert, Maryse and some others tried to calm the shadowhunters down again, but it didn't work very well. Magnus could hear the most different opinions and some shadowhunters surprised him by saying that they were ready to fight. 

He didn't know how long it took until nearly everyone in the Accords Hall was willing to risk his or her life while fighting against the demons. Now some faces he could see looked more hopeful again and Magnus thought that there had to be a way to win this war against the demons. 

Without thinking about it, he took Alec's hand and touched the rune that marked him as a shadowhunter. And while doing that, he made a decision. He wouldn't lose Alec. It had taken him so long to find the love of his life and now Magnus wasn't willing to let him go again. And nothing should happen to his other friends as well. And to the downworlders and the shadowhunters. And everyone else in this world. 

But was there really another way to summon an angel? Maybe... 

"I don't think that we can make any decisions today." Jia's voice cut off Magnus' thoughts. "We'll meet again tomorrow evening and then we have to get ready to fight." She turned around to look at the representatives of the downworlders, which wasn't easy because they were standing in different parts of the hall. After everything that happened, nobody was still sitting or standing on the same spot as at the beginning of the meeting. "You have to tell the others of your kind what happened and you have to decide quickly whether you want to help us in this war or not." 

"I don't think that we have to talk to the others first. Our answers should be clear." Maia said loudly and lifted her head so that she could see the other representatives, who just nodded in agreement. 

"Nevertheless you have to inform the others about what happened." Jia's voice was a little more friendly this time and a small smile appeared on Maia's lips. 

"That won't be a problem." 

"Then I think we'll meet again tomorrow." Jia announced and suddenly, it was loud in the hall again. 


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Alec wanted to turn around and leave the hall too, but Magnus caught his arm and held him back. "I need to talk to Maia." He murmured and the young shadowhunter nodded. 

Magnus knew that he wanted to know why, however Alec didn't ask. Well, maybe because he would get to know it soon. 

They found Maia standing next to Lily's council seat. The two women were talking quietly and Magnus noticed that the representative of the Fair Folk had already left. At least he couldn't see Phillip anywhere. 

When the warlock cleared his throat loudly to announce their presence, Maia and Lily turned around to look at Alec and him. Lily raised her thin eyebrows, while Maia just smiled with a questioning expression on her face. 

"I'm sorry that I have to interrupt your conversation, but you have to do me a favour!" Magnus began and now Alec looked at him inquiringly as well. "Could you please tell Catarina what happened? I'm sure that she'll inform the other warlocks about it." 

Maia frowned at him. "Of course we can do that. Then I assume that you want to stay in Idris and find a way to defeat the demon?" 

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Clever girl." He praised her and earned a scornful look from Lily. Maia seemed to hold back a laugh. Or she was in pain. The expression on her face could mean both. "Anyone has to find a way to win this war, right?" 

"And you already have an idea." Lily concluded and smiled so that her sharp teeth could be seen. "I hope your idea isn't as stupid as they're most of the time. It would be good if it could make it possible to be successful." 

"And what do you think could work?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows at him. 

"I think the others want to know that too." Magnus whispered into his ear and he nodded understandingly. 

"You're right. It wouldn't be fair to tell me your plan first." 

Now Magnus was the one who shot him a surprised look. "You're far too good-natured." He murmured and kissed him on the cheek, which made Alec blush. 

Then he turned to Maia and Lily again. Maia watched them with a smile on her face, while Lily seemed to be pretty bored. "Thank you for your help, it means a lot to me." He told them (mostly Maia) and the werewolf grinned. 

"You don't have to thank me for that. At least you've saved my life a long time ago, right? In comparison to that it's nothing." 

Magnus cat-like eyes gleamed in amusement. "Well, then you still owe me something." He said before he took Alec's hand and began to walk through the crowd with him. 

* * *

The others were waiting for them in front of the Accords Hall. Jace was looking bored, while Clary and Simon were talking to each other quietly. Isabelle seemed to play with her bracelet, but Magnus knew that it could turn into a whip and that's why he thought that she was expecting an attack right now. 

Of course everything was peaceful. Well, except for the shadowhunters who were murmuring to each other and looked into the sky about every ten seconds. And there was this tension in the air that made Magnus' neck tingle. And most people held the hands of their children and kept an eye on them very closely. 

When they saw Alec and Magnus, Clary and Simon stopped talking. 

"Where have you been?" Clary asked and raised her eyebrows. "We've been searching for you in the hall, but you just vanished." 

"I had to talk to Maia." Magnus told them and smiled slightly. "I can't tell the other warlocks in New York what happened, so Catarina will have to do it for me." 

"You will be staying in Idris?" Jace asked and looked up at him. Now he looked concentrated and not bored anymore. 

He nodded. "I'm not sure, but maybe we'll have a chance to win this fight." Magnus wasn't talking very loudly because it wouldn't be good if someone except his friends would hear those words. 

Simon just wanted to open his mouth and ask something when Magnus raised his hand to stop him from talking. 

"I think we should talk about that somewhere else."

Jace nodded immediately and Isabelle looked up at them too. "We could go –" 

"To the house of the representative of the warlocks." Alec finished the sentence of his sister quickly and Magnus smiled approvingly. "I don't think that it would be a good idea to make plans when we're in the same house as our parents." 

"Okay, now that we've found a place to talk, we should go there and do it." Magnus said happily and without looking at the others again, he began to walk away. Alec, who was holding his hand couldn't do anything than following him. 

* * *

"You said that we could win this war." Jace began and sat down on the couch. He raised his eyebrows slowly, but Clary interrupted him by sitting down on his lap. First, he looked at her in surprise. Of course he couldn't stop himself from smiling softly when she grinned at him and so he wrapped his arms around her and looked at Magnus from over her shoulder again. 

They were in the reception room of the house of the representative of the Children of Lilith. Like most people who entered the building, Magnus' friends had looked around in surprise first. He didn't know what the shadowhunters thought while creating the plans for the establishment, but it wasn't exactly his style. Everything in this house was purple. The walls, the furniture and even the carpet! It wasn't always the same kind of purple, however it began to annoy Magnus pretty much. Maybe he should change it soon. 

When Alec had entered the building for the first time, he had been shocked. It had taken Magnus several minutes to make him move again and even then, his boyfriend had stared at the furniture continuously. 

Suddenly, Alec put his arm around Magnus and that took him back to reality. He was sitting on a small sofa next to Alec. It wasn't very broad, so they had to sit very close to each other (which didn't bother them). On the opposite of the little table (also purple!) stood a bigger couch on which Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Simon were sitting. However, it wasn't very big too so that Clary had to sit on Jace's lap (that didn't bother them as well). 

"Yes." Magnus answered simply and also taken by surprise. The silence which followed his answer made him smile.

"And what can we do?" Isabelle asked impatiently and crossed her legs. 

"We can summon an angel." He said simply.

Jace cleared his throat and looked at Magnus questioningly. "Do you think that it will work?" Apparently, he wanted to be polite. At least his voice sounded so strange and normally, that tone was only used by polite people. Of which Magnus didn't know too many. 

"I'm not sure." He admitted and gave up his false cheerfulness. In that moment, the others seemed to let their masks fall down as well because the tension which had been in the city was in the room now as well. "It could be possible, but it's a very difficult way and it takes much time." 

"More difficult than to summon Raziel?" Clary asked and when he looked at her, Magnus saw the surprised expression in her face. 

"There are many ways to summon an angel." He explained. "Sometimes, it isn't very difficult. You need a pentagram and some incantations and that's it. If the summoner is powerful enough, it won't be a problem. But some angels can't just be called like that. Then there are special ways that are always different." 

"So you say that every angel has an own way to be summoned?" Simon asked slowly and when Magnus nodded, he raised his eyebrows. "And why can't you just call an angel who comes after the easy incantation?" 

"I think we all agree in the point that we need an angel who is strong enough to defeat a Prince of Hell, right?" The others nodded after a few seconds of hesitation. "Then we can't take the easy way." Magnus said simply and leaned back on the couch, which made it difficult for Alec to let his arm rest around his shoulders. He looked at the young shadowhunter apologetically, but Alec just smiled and leaned back as well. 

"And how does this difficult way look?" Of course Jace was the one who asked that question. It didn't bother him very much if something wasn't easy. He did it either way. 

"We need to find a ghost, persuade him to give us his protection and then we'll have to find a warlock who hates visitors of all kinds. He has to give us a certain book because I don't know the spell to summon a certain angel. Then someone of you has to be completely insane since he or she has to be the one who meets the angel. He has to be convinced of the fact that it's important to fight against Belphegor and then, we all have to survive the battle. Just in case you don't know it, a fight between an angel and a greater demon won't be very nice." 

Five pairs of eyes stared at him and the silence in the room seemed to be tangible. 

"Sounds nice." Isabelle murmured and Simon nodded enthusiastically. 

"We've done more difficult things." Jace said and smiled excitedly. 

"You're kidding us, right?" Clary crossed her arms, which looked funny since she was still sitting on Jace's legs. 

“When did you even become an expert in the summoning of angels?” Isabelle asked suspiciously.

"And how should we do that in three days?" Alec whispered into his ear and Magnus smiled at him reassuringly. 

"We'll find a way." he promised. "And if we don't, we can at least say that we had a nice time together, right?" 

Alec's expression petrified. "We will survive all this." He murmured and Magnus was surprised by the harshness in his voice. 

"Um, guys. When you say 'all this', do you also mean the demons who just want to enter the city?" Simon asked loudly and pointed towards the window. 

As fast as possible, they ran to the window and Isabelle opened it. What they saw out there made Magnus nearly take a step back. He just didn't do it because of Alec and the others. Out there, hundreds of demons were storming towards the towers of Alicante. 


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Alec didn't want to believe what he saw. 

He stood next to Magnus in front of the window and they all watched hundreds of demons storming towards the city. No one moved and it seemed as if everyone – even Jace – was holding his or her breath. 

But why were they already attacking the city? Didn't Belphegor say that they had three days until the war would start? Or did he mean that it would be over then? That couldn't be possible... 

Every second felt like an eternity and to Alec, it looked as if the demons were storming towards the towers in slow motion. With horror, they watched the first ones arriving there. 

However, they didn't reach their goal. With a dazzling flash of light, most of the demons were thrown back and it sounded like thunder growling in the distance. Alec and his friends had to turn their heads away because the light was too bright and when they were able to look up again, they couldn't believe their eyes. 

All around the city, there was something which looked like fog in the air. It seemed to come from the demon towers, but somehow, Alec had the feeling that it was there all the time, just invisible to their eyes. 

"The shields of the city are visible..." Magnus murmured and Alec saw a mixture of amazement and concern in his cat-like eyes. 

"Is it something good?" Isabelle turned around to look at him questioningly and Magnus shook his head. 

"That's one of the worst things that can happen. Normally, you can only see them when they're positioned in a new way or so weak that the shadowhunters have to be warned about their instability. And I can tell you that the first option didn't take place in the last two hundred years because I was there." He added when he saw Alec's waiting expression. 

"So we have a problem?" He asked and Magnus nodded. 

"I think it would be a good time to get your weapons." 

"No problem." Jace murmured and Alec noticed that he was already holding his seraph blade in his hand. 

When he looked out of the window again, he saw that the light of the shields was getting weaker. At the same time, the demons started to move closer to the city and when the gleam vanished completely, many of them stormed into the city of Alicante.

Jace and Alec just wanted to turn around to leave the building when Magnus caught their arms. "Wait, look what's happening!" He ordered and Alec followed his gaze immediately, while Jace hesitated for a moment. 

The towers started to glow in a faint light that was getting brighter quickly. And suddenly, there was another flash and the fog around the city started to appear again. "The shields are getting stronger again and the other demons can't enter the city anymore." Simon whispered and Alec didn't like the impressed look on Magnus' face. 

"That doesn't change the fact that there are about two hundred demons in here." He said quickly and when Simon turned around to look at him, he frowned. Apparently, the expression on Alec's face didn't look very happy. But there wasn't time for anything like that. They had to get out of the building and fight against their enemies. 

"Why are we still standing here?" Izzy asked in a sharp tone and without saying anything else, they all started to run downstairs. 

"Do you really want to come with us?" Alec asked Magnus quietly. They were the last ones on the stairs and that gave them a few moments to talk. 

"Why should I stay here?" Magnus asked and his eyes gleamed. "I think I wasn't too bad during our last battle." 

"But you got injured." Alec protested and his tone made the look on his boyfriend's face become softer. 

"That was before you were there to help me." Magnus touched his cheek and a little smile appeared on his lips. "I don't want you to be out there alone. I know, Isabelle and Jace are there, but that doesn't calm me down very much. And didn't we say that we won't separate in this war?" 

Without thinking about it, Alec grabbed Magnus' shirt and pulled him closer so that he could kiss him. He tried to show him all of his feelings while doing that and it seemed as if Magnus tried to do the same. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but after it they just nodded and with determined expressions on their faces, they followed the others. 

* * *

Even if only some of the demons had been able to enter the city, the shadowhunters had to fight very hard to defeat them. 

They were much bigger than usual and it seemed as if they had a plan. Some of them even worked as a team, which didn't happen before. 

When Magnus and Alec left the building, Jace and Clary were already fighting against a big dahak demon who was intelligent (normally, that shouldn't be possible). He was very careful and tried not to turn his back to one of the shadowhunters attacking him. 

Isabelle was swaying her whip and it hit the demon in front of her. Without hesitation, she ran towards him and drew her seraph blade. To Alec, it seemed as if she didn't have any problems, so he searched for other demons in the streets. 

It wasn't difficult to find two of them. They were moving into their direction and Alec went to meet them with his knife in one hand. The seraph blade still was in his belt, but he wasn't sure if he would need it when Magnus was with him. The hands of the warlock had started to glow in a blue light and Alec could see the determined expression on his face. 

When the first demon rushed at Alec, he took a step back quickly and ducked when the tail threatened to hit him. Then the demon was hit by blue light and Alec threw himself at it. His knife stabbed the demon's chest and he dissolved slowly. 

Alec couldn't see the other demon, but he heard the sound of its footsteps. He laid down on the ground and rolled to the right. The sting pierced the ground on the spot where Alec's head had been just seconds ago and he threw his knife. However, it missed the demon, who turned around to look at him again. He just wanted to take his seraph blade when a tall figure appeared behind the demon. 

When it fell to the ground, Alec had to jump out of the way quickly. Otherwise, the demon would have crushed him. His knife was stuck in the demons back and there was a satisfied look on Magnus' face. 

"What would you do without me?" He asked with a grin. 

"I had the situation under control." Alec murmured and allowed the warlock to take his hand and help him to get to his feet again. 

"I know." Magnus answered and blinked at Alec before he turned around to see what the others were doing. 

It didn't surprise Alec that Jace and Clary were already talking to each other quietly. However, they just had to fight against  _one_ demon, not two. So it was natural that they had been faster. 

Isabelle and Simon were walking towards them. Simon had a cut on his cheek, while Isabelle didn't seem to be injured. 

"Are you okay?" Clary asked Simon and went towards him to have a closer look at his wound. 

"It's nothing." Simon murmured and a small smile appeared on Jace's lips. 

"I think it's time for one of your first runes." Alec's  _parabatai_ said and took his  _stele_ out of his pocket. "Who should do it?" He asked Simon and raised his eyebrows. 

"Do you want to do it?" Simon looked at Isabelle questioningly and Alec couldn't hide his surprise. He thought that he would ask Clary, his best friend, and Jace and Isabelle seemed to be surprised as well. Clary was just smiling at Simon and Isabelle and the look on Magnus' face told Alec that he had suspected that something like this would happen. 

First, Isabelle was too astonished to say anything. But then she smiled (did her cheeks turn red?) and she took the  _stele_ from Jace. Slowly, she took a step towards Simon and began to draw the  _iratze._ The cut on Simon's cheek began to vanish and after it had disappeared, Isabelle leaned forward to kiss him. 

After about thirty seconds, Magnus cleared his throat. "Can't you do that in your room? And maybe when the city’s not under attack?" He asked and Alec had to hold back a laugh. Clary and Jace were looking amused as well and Jace even turned around to hide his grin from them. 

However, the expression on Magnus' face turned serious again. "I don't think that this happened for the last time in the next three days. We have to be careful and find a way to strengthen the shields around the city..." He looked at the demon towers thoughtfully and Alec knew that he searched for a way to protect them from the demons. "I think I'll talk to the guards at the towers tomorrow. Maybe there is a way to make sure that the shields won't break down again." 

Jace nodded. "And while you're doing that, I'll go to the armoury. My dagger isn't sharp enough anymore." With a large grin on his face, Jace looked at it. However, Alec knew him well enough to see the concern in his eyes.

* * *

"Do you really think that this will be the end?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows at Magnus. They were in Magnus' house (Alec didn't want to live at the Penhallow’s house too because his parents, Isabelle, Jace, Clary and Simon were already staying there. And besides, he preferred being with Magnus) and laying on the bed together. 

Magnus had wrapped his arms around Alec's waist, while one of his hands was resting on the warlock’s shoulder. "No." Magnus murmured and opened his cat-like eyes again. Like every time he looked at him, Alec couldn't believe how beautiful they were. "We'll find a way to win this battle. I don't think that our time has already come." 

"But is it really possible to summon an angel? According to your explanation, it seems to be really difficult." Alec noted and frowned at him.

"Difficult isn't impossible, Alexander. After everything that happened last year, you should know that." The look on Magnus' face was thoughtful and Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling softly. 

"So there's still hope." He muttered and kissed Magnus quickly. When he wanted to pull away again, the other man tightened his grip around his waist and Alec wasn't able to move away anymore. They kissed each other for several minutes, but the kisses only showed them their love. Right now, they wanted to enjoy their time together because it wasn't sure if there would be much more of it. 

"I have to apologize." Magnus whispered when they pulled away and Alec opened his eyes to look at him questioningly. 

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"I've been stupid. I mean, since we know each other, I had my secrets and I wasn't willing to tell you anything about my past. That bothered you all the time and I knew it, but I didn't change my behaviour. Maybe because I was afraid that you wouldn't like me anymore if you knew what I've done in my life..." 

"How could you think that?" Alec asked in shock and looked at Magnus wide-eyed. 

The warlock shrugged. "As I said, I've been stupid." 

"But you've changed. After our return from Edom, you answer all my questions and you told me so much about your past. So why do you want to apologize? You don't have to." 

"I want it. Right now, I realize again that life's too short to have so many secrets. Shouldn't we just enjoy our time together without arguing about some stupid things? At least we could both die in the next days." 

"Don't. Say. That." Alec spat and closed Magnus' mouth with a kiss. "We will survive all this." He murmured between the kisses and his hands moved from the other man’s shoulders to the buttons of his jacket. He felt Magnus' hands on his back now and suddenly, he pulled him closer. 

"I love you." Magnus murmured and for a second, they just looked into each other’s eyes. But then they started kissing again and in the next moment, Magnus was laying on top of Alec, his hands on his belt. 

"I love you too. And don't say anything like that again. We will win this battle. We have to." Alec was surprised that he sounded so confident right now.

_Hopefully, that'll turn out to be true..._ Alec thought. However, he couldn't think about anything except Magnus anymore when the hands of the other man started to undress him.


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The next morning, Alec and Magnus made their way to the demon towers. 

Magnus had searched for a way to strengthen the towers nearly the entire night and now he thought that he knew how to prevent the shields from breaking down again. The price for the solution had been his appearance. He had dark rings under his eyes and his make-up didn't help to make them vanish completely. Of course Alec had affirmed that he looked as beautiful as always, but it didn't convince him. 

However, Magnus didn't have time to think about the way he looked. There were much more important things to settle at the moment. 

When they reached the towers, the guards didn't seem to be surprised to see Alec and Magnus standing in front of them. 

"You have to be Magnus Bane, right?" One of the guards – a young, red haired boy, probably a little younger than Alec – asked in an excited tone and when Magnus' boyfriend raised his eyebrows sceptically, he blushed. 

"Yes, that's me." Magnus answered quickly and squeezed Alec's hand. "Who told you that we would come?" 

"No one." The young man began to feel uneasy and Magnus couldn't stop himself from grinning slightly. Somehow, he reminded him of Alec on their first meetings. "But after what happened yesterday, we thought that someone would come and try to fix the problem." He exchanged a look with the other guard, who nodded silently. 

"How did you recognize him?" Alec asked and looked at the two men questioningly. 

"Who doesn't know the famous Magnus Bane?" This time, the other man had spoken. He looked older than the red-haired one, but still too young to guard the demon towers. Shouldn't that be done by more experienced shadowhunters? Well, Sebastian had been able to deactivate the shields, so the guards didn't seem to be that attentive all the time... 

"Thank you for the compliment." Magnus said shortly and smiled at the two shadowhunters in front of them widely. "But I don't have time for that. And besides, I have a boyfriend. Maybe you see that. And now could you please let us in, so that I can try to 'fix the problem', as you said?" 

Apparently, they didn't know what to say now because they just stammered incomprehensible things and opened the door for Alec and Magnus, in which they nearly collided. 

"That was great!" Alec whispered into Magnus' ear and chuckled. Now they were alone in the tower which controlled all of them and Magnus headed towards the big stone in the middle of the room. It was made of  _adamas_ and glowed in a white light. 

"I'm glad you liked it." Magnus murmured and kissed Alec on the cheek. Then he looked at the stone and walked around it slowly. 

"And what are you going to do now?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows at him. 

"A simple spell of the white book was the first thing that came into my mind." Magnus began and looked into Alec's eyes. "It can strengthen other magic and sometimes also shields that are made to protect you from certain things. I can use it on the stone that navigates the shield around Alicante."

"Just like Sebastian used his blood to make them break down." Alec nodded and Magnus had to smile. He was so cute. 

"That's right. But it took me some hours to figure out that this spell isn't enough. There is another thing that it necessary to make the shields stronger. And that's –" 

"The blood of an angel." A voice behind them said and when they turned around, Alec and Magnus saw Jace standing in front of them. His smile showed a mixture of amusement and impatience and he was holding his knife in his hand. "I understand that you want to explain everything as good as possible, but could you do that  _after_ I've spilled my blood on that stone? Clary's waiting for me." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows and snorted. "Okay, then do it first. We don't want to keep you away from Clary in the last hours of your life!" He threw his arms into the air and Alec watched him in an interested way. That made Magnus smile again and he wrapped his arms around the young shadowhunter. "We need the blood of an angel because it's the opposite from the blood which deactivates the shields." He whispered into Alec's ear and Jace, who just had raised his knife, looked at them again. 

"Didn't I say later?" He muttered and then he cut his hand with the knife slowly. The stone began to glow brighter when Jace's blood touched it and he took a few steps back. "And what happens now?" 

"Now it's showtime." Magnus explained and walked towards the stone. Then he closed his eyes and began to murmur an incantation in a language which was forgotten by everyone except the warlocks and maybe the Silent Brothers.

When he opened his eyes again, the stone was shining in a white light that filled the entire room. Alec and Jace were standing on one of the walls and Magnus noticed that the wound on Jace's hand had vanished. Apparently, Alec had drawn an  _Iratze,_ so that it healed more quickly. 

"So... this was it?" Alec asked hesitantly and Magnus nodded. 

"Normally, magic isn't that impressive. I thought that you know that by now." 

"I do." Alec asserted, but he didn't relax until he saw Magnus' grin. 

"Then I'll go." Jace said shortly and walked towards the door. "It was a very nice meeting, but I've other things to do as well. See you later." 

With those words, he left the tower and Alec and Magnus exchanged a look. Then Magnus shrugged, took Alec's hand and began to walk towards the door as well. 

* * *

"Summoning an angel will be very difficult because I need a special spell." Magnus said and he saw the others looking at him intently. "I've already explained that every angel has his or her own way to be called. The angel I want to call won't be very happy about it, so the summoner has to be protected. This protection can only be given by a ghost and that doesn't make it any easier to get it. There aren't many ghosts in this world and most of them won't be happy to be bothered by some shadowhunters and a warlock. And it also won't be a simple task to get the spell because it is in a book which is owned by an old warlock who isn't interested in the events of the world anymore. But we really have to get it. Without the book, the plan will fail and we can't do anything except waiting for our defeat." 

It was early in the afternoon and in two hours, the next meeting of the council would take place. Until then, their plan had to be made completely. Right now, Magnus and his friends were sitting under a tree in the park of Alicante. In other circumstances, Magnus would have said that it was a beautiful place and maybe he would have sat here with Alec and looked at the stars. But in this moment, the place didn't look so nice to him. But maybe that was also because of the rain which was falling down on the earth. The clouds were dark and some time ago, Alec had said that it looked like there would be a thunderstorm. 

"So you say that we should do something impossible in two days?" Simon asked and raised his eyebrows. He sat next to Isabelle, who was playing with her bracelet absently. 

"Yes. But that won't be a problem, right? At least we've done lots of impossible things in the past months." Magnus wanted to sound confident and he hoped that it worked.

"He's right." Jace said and now Magnus had to stare at him wide-eyed. 

"What did you just say?" 

"What do you mean?" Jace asked in a confused way and looked at him uncomprehendingly. 

"What you just said." He repeated and when he looked around quickly, he saw that Alec watched their exchange of words in amusement. 

"I said that you're right." 

Magnus pointed at him and grinned slightly. "That's it." 

"What do you mean?" Clary asked and seemed to be as confused as Jace. 

"He said that I'm right." Magnus repeated and Alec smiled at him lovingly. 

"And why is that so important...?" Isabelle had looked up from her bracelet and raised her eyebrows at him as well. 

"Oh, never mind..." He murmured quickly and looked at his hands.

"So where will we start?" Alec asked quickly and Magnus shot him a grateful look. 

"When you say that we can't reach anything without the book, we should search the warlock first." Clary said and Jace nodded. 

"Where can we find him?" He asked and Magnus raised his head to look at him again. 

"Well, the last time I've heard of him he was in –" 

"Do you think that this is a good idea?" A voice behind Magnus' back asked and he turned around quickly just to see Jem standing in front of them. 

"What are you doing here?" Magnus asked quickly and he felt Alec stiffen next to him. 

"I wanted to go for a walk. Having some time alone makes it easier to think about certain things. And then I overheard you talking about summoning an angel –" 

"Don't say it that loud!" Jace snapped and Jem looked at him in surprise. Slowly, he sat down next to Magnus and nodded. 

"You're right. That was thoughtless. I'm sorry." He turned to Magnus again. "But do you really think that this is a good idea? Summoning an angel has always caused trouble." 

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Jem had been a silent brother once and that the heavenly fire had turned him into a normal shadowhunter again. But right now his knowledge showed Magnus his difficult past and in his thoughts, he saw Brother Zachariah again. 

"Do we have a choice?" Magnus' voice was not more than a whisper and his friends had to lean forward to understand what he'd just said. 

"Normally, I would say that we always have one." Jem muttered and his gaze became absent. He closed his eyes for a few moments and a pained expression appeared on his face. Then he shook his head and slowly, the former silent brother opened his eyes again. Magnus knew exactly what Jem had just seen in his mind. Magnus still remembered different times, when Jem had been the  _parabatai_ of Will Herondale. And of course there had always been Tessa. He wondered if Jem had told her anything about the problems the shadowhunters had at the moment. As far as he knew, Tessa was at the spiral labyrinth now. "But in this situation, there is nothing else we can do." Jem continued and ripped Magnus out of his thoughts.

Magnus nodded. "I think so too. But our plan could work." 

Jem frowned. "Do you think Edgar will give you the book?" He asked doubtfully. 

"I don't think that he'll be the problem." Magnus said slowly.

"You mean...?" Jem began and looked at Magnus in surprise. 

"Yes, do you think that she'll give us her protection?" 

"Why do you want to ask her? There isn't just that one ghost in London." Jem looked troubled now.

"The one that protects the institute?" Now Alec seemed to understand what they were talking about. 

"How do you know about it?" Jem asked and Alec blushed. 

"Magnus mentioned it once." He murmured and Magnus chuckled, while he wrapped his arms around Alec and kissed him on the cheek. 

"I'm not sure if she'll show herself to you. And we’re not talking about Jessamine, by the way." There was doubt in Jem’s voice and Magnus could understand his attitude very well. Normally, ghosts didn't like to be bothered by anyone. 

"She knows me." He said simply and now Jem’s eyes were gleaming. The silent brothers had wanted to know what happened between him and the ghost of London for a long time. "But that doesn't matter right now. We have to convince the council first. Without their approval, it won't be easy to make our plan work." 

"Well, then you should tell them what you want to do. The meeting will start soon. But let me warn you one last time. It will be dangerous to call an angel and if I'm right, the one you want to summon won't be very happy about it." 

Magnus sighed and suddenly, all his doubts had returned. But when he felt Alec's heartbeat under his hand, new hope appeared. The plan had to work. Not for him, but for the ones he loved. They had to survive all this. It wouldn't be easy, but they had to try. 

"I know. But as you said, we don't have a choice." 


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Jem had been right. They had to hurry to arrive at the Accords Hall punctually. 

When they entered it, Magnus kissed Alec on the cheek quickly and went to his seat next to the other representatives of the downworlders. Maia began to talk to him quietly and Alec saw his boyfriend nodding in relieve. Apparently, Catarina had agreed to inform the other warlocks about the events of the previous day. 

Alec sat down between Jace and Isabelle, which was his usual place. Isabelle seemed to search someone in the crowd, while Jace just crossed his arms and put on a bored expression. As his  _parabatai_ , Alec knew that he was only acting. Of course Jace was eager to know how the council would decide about their plan, but he couldn't stop playing the cool guy (which was very annoying sometimes). 

When he looked past Jace, Alec saw a dreamy expression on Clary's face. She had acted differently the entire day and somehow, this look reminded him of the day when she had created a new rune in front of the whole council. Was she seeing something again? Or did he just imagine that? He couldn't tell... Jace was the one who knew Clary better, but Alec didn't want to make him worry even more. So he didn't say anything and concentrated on Magnus again, who sat down and looked into his direction as well. 

A smile appeared on the warlock's lips and he bowed his head lightly. The message was clear.  _Don't worry, everything will be all right._ Alec's lips twitched, but before he could do anything else, Jia Penhallow stood up and everyone in the room fell silent. 

"I think I don't have to say anything to the events of yesterday evening." She began and looked around slowly. "Even if you weren't there, you have heard about what happened. At least it was the topic of nearly all conversations here in Alicante and in every other city where shadowhunters and downworlders live." At her last words, she looked into the direction of Magnus, Maia, Lily and Phillip, who looked at her in a concentrated way. 

"I assume that you have told the other downworlders about what happened?" The question was unnecessary, but of course Jia asked it all the same. 

Maia nodded. "The werewolves will fight at your side." She announced and Jia smiled in a satisfied way. 

"We will support you as well." Lily said loudly and Magnus and Phillip agreed too, even if the representative of the Fair Folk didn't seem to be very happy about it. 

"So now that we have settled that, we have to decide what we are going to do now. Most shadowhunters already have new weapons and we have set up special places where everyone can improve his or her fighting technique. However, I do not think that there is much more we can do." 

"I wouldn't say it like that." A voice cut in and Alec recognized it immediately. All eyes in the hall turned to Magnus, who didn't seem to have a problem with that. "I've thought about it for a long time and now I think that there's a way to win this war." 

At those words, many people in the hall began to murmur quietly and Alec saw some people surveying Magnus suspiciously. When he looked at Jia, he saw the surprise on her face. Apparently, she hadn't thought that there would be a way to defeat a prince of hell and his army. 

"And what do you think we can do, Magnus?" Maryse had turned around in her seat and now she was looking at the warlock questioningly. 

"We can summon an angel." Magnus said simply and smiled. 

"But you said that it's impossible to call an angel after you've summoned Raziel!" An angry voice yelled, but Alec couldn't see to whom it belonged. 

"I didn't say that it's impossible. I said that we can try it, but nobody listened to me anymore because you were all too agitated!" Now Magnus' cat-like eyes gleamed dangerously and suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. It was only a little bit, but Alec felt the disapproval of many shadowhunters towards the warlock. 

"Why don't you just explain your plan to them?" Jace asked loudly and Alec shot him a grateful look. Presumably, his  _parabatai_ had just prevented an argument. 

Jia nodded quickly and looked at Magnus apologetically. It was clear that she didn't like the fact that so many shadowhunters didn't like him very much. "Would you please tell us about your idea?" 

With a smile on his lips, Magnus bowed his head into the consul's direction. "Of course I will do it, consul." He said and Alec noted that he'd addressed Jia with her official title. "I didn't say that it is  _impossible_ to summon an angel again. It is just very difficult and normally, something like that takes much time. Since we don't have that right now, we have to hurry up and that's only possible if we all work together. And that means that you have to support my plan." He crossed his legs and Alec thought that he looked very cute at doing that. "There are a few things that I need to summon the angel, but I don't want to bother you with that. I think my friends will help me at getting them." 

Now Magnus turned his attention to Alec and the others, who nodded immediately. 

However, Jia frowned. "Do you really think that you will get them in time?" There was doubt in her voice and she didn't seem to be very convinced. 

"Of course I do. I think you know that we're able to manage complicated situations pretty well when we're together." Now Magnus grinned slightly and Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling as well. 

"Are you sure that you will be successful?" Jia looked at Alec and the others and he nodded quickly. 

"I do not think that it will be a problem, consul." 

"We're already done more difficult things." Clary added and it wasn't easy for Alec to hide his surprise. He knew that Clary always said what she was thinking and that she didn't have a problem with authorities, but he didn't expect her to speak during the meeting. Not now, when it didn't affect her completely. 

Jia's gaze rested on them for a few moments, which seemed like an eternity to Alec. But then she hinted a nod and turned around to Magnus again. 

"What will happen when you've summoned the angel?" 

"He will fight the prince of hell. So it doesn't avoid a battle. We will have to deal with the demons and that won't be easy. You all know that they're stronger and more intelligent than usual." 

"So we will have to fight either way." Alec tried to see the woman who'd just spoken, but he could only see her brown hair. Surprisingly, her voice didn't sound reproachful. It was more like she was thinking loudly. 

"But when there is a chance to win this war, we should take it." Now Robert Lightwood – Alec's father – was speaking and he saw him looking at Magnus questioningly. "Can we do anything to help you with your plan?" 

Magnus hesitated for half a second and then he shook his head. "There's not much you can do. When we've got everything I need to call the angel, the Angel Square has to be empty. I'll summon the angel there. Is it possible to seal it off somehow?" 

"That won't be a problem." Robert answered immediately and Magnus smiled. 

"Then there's nothing more you can do for us." 

Jia cleared her throat loudly and everyone turned his or her attention he the consul again. "I think we've settled everything, right?" The silence that followed her words seemed to confirm them. "Then you should start with your plan as soon as possible." Magnus nodded firmly and Alec could see Jace smiling slightly. "And we will secure the city as good as possible. I should also mention that Magnus has strengthened the shields around the city this morning, so we don't have to be afraid of demons entering Alicante again. The battle will take place outside of the city and everyone who can't take part in it will stay here." 

Surprised whispers spread out in the hall and Alec could see shadowhunters looking at Magnus in an admiring way. He didn't like the expression on the face of a young girl, who seemed to eat the warlock with her eyes. Right now, Alec had the strong urge to wrap his arms around Magnus, just to show that he belonged to  _him_ and no one else. 

"I think that I can declare this meeting to be over. We will meet again in two days, a few hours before the battle will start." With those words, Jia left the dais and went to Maryse and Robert. They began to talk to each other quietly, but then someone in front of him stood up and Alec wasn't able to see them anymore. 

"Do you want to stay here forever or are you going to move?" Isabelle's voice cut him out of his thoughts and Alec hurried to follow Clary and Jace. He couldn't see Magnus anywhere, so he stayed with his friends and when they left the hall, he touched Clary's arm to attract her attention. 

"Is everything all right?" He murmured softly and Clary frowned. After a few seconds, she shook her head. 

"No, there's something strange which I can't assign very well." 

Alec raised his eyebrows, but before he could say anything else, someone wrapped his arms around him. "What's up?" Magnus whispered, so that only Clary and Alec could hear him. 

"I would like to know that too." Jace noted and when Alec turned his head, he saw that Isabelle and Simon were watching them in an interested way as well. 

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about it here." Magnus suggested and Clary shot him a grateful look. 

"To your house?" Alec asked and a large grin appeared on Magnus' lips. 

"Of course! At least we all love purple, right?" 

* * *

"There's this strange rune which appeared in my dreams last night." Clary began and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "I still see it, but I don't know what it can do. I only know that it's a powerful rune. And it's similar to the ones that protect you from something. However, there's something in it that gives me an uneasy feeling..." 

Jace took her hand and squeezed it. There was this worried expression on his face which only appeared when something happened to Clary. 

"But didn't you see other runes before you knew how they worked as well?" Simon asked and raised his eyebrows slowly. 

Clary nodded. "Somehow, this is different. I have the feeling that I already should know what it does, but it's like I've forgotten it." 

Now Isabelle looked at Magnus questioningly. "Do you have any idea what this could mean?" 

Alec's boyfriend shook his head. "No, unfortunately not. There aren't many things I know about Clary's powers. I think you will understand the rune when you need her. Isn't it always like that?" 

"Yes. Nevertheless, I don't think that it's right to forget it. It seems to be important." 

"I didn't say that you should forget the rune." Magnus corrected quickly and the thoughtful expression on his face returned. 

"You have to trust your powers." Alec added and a small smile appeared on his lips. "They've saved us many times, so why should they lose their effect now?" 

Clary didn't seem to be convinced, but all the same she tried to look confident. "Maybe you're right..." 

"Why don't we start to make plans for tomorrow?" Magnus asked suddenly and Alec knew that he wanted to change the topic. "At least we've got to search an old, grumpy warlock and convince him to give us his beloved book." 


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was posting this, I realized that the chapters of my new stories are much longer than these. I hope you don't mind! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

"And you're sure that he's living  _here_ ?" Jace asked and raised his eyebrows sceptically. 

Magnus could understand his doubts pretty well. It was the morning of the second day and right after breakfast, he had opened a portal which brought them close to the place where the old warlock was living. That meant that they were in Bhutan. If you want to know where that is: somewhere in South Asia, but don't ask where exactly. Magnus didn't know either. Luckily, it wasn't necessary to know the exact location of the place you were travelling to. You only needed to know how it looked and since Magnus had been there once (about two hundred years ago), he knew that. 

"Yes, most certainly." Magnus answered with a smile and turned around to have a look at their surroundings. Apparently, they were in a forest. It wasn't difficult to discover that because there were trees all around Magnus and his friends. 

Luckily, there was also a path. "I mean, I don't remember this road here, if you can call it that, but it seems to be the same place." 

"When you said that he doesn't want to be bothered by the events of the world, I didn't think that he lives this... isolated." Alec remarked and Magnus took his hand and squeezed it. 

"Sometimes, warlocks can be pretty strange." 

"Oh,  _that_ 's something I know." The young, blue-eyed shadowhunter giggled and Magnus tried to look offended, but it didn't work because the others started to laugh and he couldn't stop himself from joining them. 

"It's very lonely." Simon murmured thoughtfully and turned around to look at Magnus. "How can anyone want to live here?" 

He raised his hands deprecatingly. "Don't ask me. I may not be as old as Edgar, but I'm still living in one of the biggest cities in the world. So you can't say that I have the urge to be alone." 

"Shouldn't we go to his house and look if he's there?" Isabelle sounded impatient and now everyone turned around again to look at the path in front of them. In a situation like this, it wasn't good to forget why they were here in the first place. 

It wasn't difficult to find Edgar's house. If you could call it that. It was a little cottage made of wood and somehow, it looked like it was going to break down soon. The garden was completely overgrown and it made the impression that no one had been here for years. However, Magnus had the feeling that the other warlock was still here. The smell of magic was in the air and he could also feel the well-known tension it caused. 

"And you're sure that he's still alive? Isn't it possible that something happened to him in the past two hundred years?" Simon asked, his voice filled with doubt. The others didn't look very happy about the situation as well, so Magnus just nodded. 

"He's here, I can feel it." He said simply and began to walk towards the hut. He heard the footsteps of his friends behind him and after a few moments, Alec appeared next to him and took his hand again. 

He had told them right from the beginning that he wasn't sure if Edgar was willing to help them. He was much older than Magnus and he didn't like to hear anything from other downworlders or the Nephilim. And to be honest, he hated mundanes as well. So it was pretty unlikely that he wanted to talk to them. In his long life, the old warlock had experienced so many things (mostly unsightly things) that it wasn't important to him anymore what was going to happen next. He was living in his own world now.

"And what are we going to do now? Do we just knock at the door, or will we also say something? Isn't it more likely that he'll open then?" Simon's whisper made Magnus smile and he could see that Alec thought that he was kind of funny as well. His behaviour reminded him of the time when he was still a mundane or of his first weeks as a vampire. Presumably, Simon wasn't going to change any time soon. Well, maybe that was the reason why Isabelle loved him... 

When they stopped in front of the door, Alec and Magnus could see that someone had carved in a few words.  _If you want to live, go away._

"Sounds nice." Jace, who was looking over Alec's shoulder, muttered and now Magnus could see a concentrated expression on the Shadowhunter’s face. 

"I think you're right, Magnus." Clary murmured and touched the dagger on her belt absently. 

"We're not here to fight against him." Magnus reminded his friends quickly because Jace was inspecting his weapons as well. "We just want to talk. If we attack him, it'll be even more unlikely that we'll get the book.  _And it's important to get it!_ " He stressed the last words and looked into everyone's eyes for a few seconds. "Maybe you should let me talk." 

With those words, he turned around and knocked on the door loudly. For something which seemed like an eternity, there was silence. Just when he wanted to knock again, there was a grating sound behind the door and then, they heard footsteps which were moving closer. 

They took a step back and when the door opened, even Magnus was dumbfounded. 

In his memories, Edgar had been a small, corpulent man with long, brown hair and grey eyes that always looked cold. Clothes hadn't been very important to him and most of the time, he had been wearing brown pants, a green jacket (luckily, Magnus didn't know what had been under it) and grey gloves, which had been holey. 

However, the man who was standing in front of them now didn't have anything in common with the Edgar Magnus used to know. He was way too thin and Magnus could see his bones everywhere. His hair was still long but felted and it looked like he hadn't combed it for years. And the uncommon grey eyes were misty and Magnus asked himself if he was even able to see anything. 

Edgar was leaning on the doorway; maybe he wasn't able to stand without help anymore. First, he looked at Magnus and he thought that there was something like recognition in his eyes, but then he saw Alec and the others and when he noticed the runes on their skin, Edgar's eyes grew wide and he wanted to slam the door shut as quick as possible. 

Luckily, Alec was standing next to Magnus and his reflexes were really good, which impressed him every time. The young shadowhunter grabbed the door and took a step forward, so that his foot prevented it from being closed completely. Then he pushed and against him, the old warlock didn't have a chance. Edgar stumbled back and Magnus and the others hurried to follow Alec into the cottage.

"What do you want?" Edgar spat and for a few seconds, it looked as if he wanted to throw himself on Alec, who was still standing very close to him. 

Magnus pushed himself between them quickly and smiled at the other warlock. But before he could say anything, the expression on Edgar's face turned from angry to confused and he sat down on the next chair he could reach. "I... I know you." Suddenly, Edgar sounded like an old man and Magnus exchanged a confused look with Alec and Jace, who were standing next to him. 

"Yes, I'm Magnus Bane. We met some time ago." It didn't matter if he said 'some time ago' or 'two hundred years ago'. To most warlocks, time wasn't very important. 

"But...  _Magnus Bane_ ?" And then Edgar seemed to remember their last meeting (which hadn't been very nice) and the angry expression returned. "What do you want here? Didn't I say that I never wanted to see you again?" 

Magnus raised his hands quickly and smiled at the other man. "Yes, I remember that. But we need your help. Something terrible has happened –" 

"And why have you shown them where I live?" He pointed at Magnus' friends accusingly. "I don't want to be bothered with the problems of the Nephilim!" 

"They're my friends and we're not just here because of the problems of the shadowhunters." Magnus tried again, even if he began to think that Edgar wouldn't let him explain anything. "The demons are the problem of all of us." 

"Demons? You want to tell me something about the demons? I've been living on this planet for over nine hundred years and in my whole life, there have been demons on this planet! So why should they be a real problem now?" Now Edgar was nearly shouting and from the corner of his eyes, Magnus saw Jace raising his eyebrows impatiently. 

"They're getting stronger and are attacking more often. And in Idris, one of the greater demons appeared and declared –" 

"One of the nine?" The other warlock laughed loudly and Magnus could hear Clary whispering something behind him. He wasn't sure if he understood everything, but the word 'insane' was part of her sentence. "Why should one of the nine want to have to do something with us? They have more power than most beings in this universe and there are far more interesting things than the earth out there." 

"That doesn't change the fact that Belphegor was there and –" Isabelle began, but Edgar cut her off again. 

"Belphegor?" He laughed and put a hand on his stomach. Tears were appearing in his eyes and Magnus couldn't believe that everything sounded so funny to him. "It isn't even said if he's one of the nine princes of hell! Some people say that he doesn't exist. So why should I believe your story?" 

"Do you think that we're here to make you laugh?" Magnus asked and crossed his arms. This was getting pretty annoying.

"I don't know why you are here, Bane, but honestly, I don't really want to know it as well. So if you could just –" He would never have a chance to finish that sentence. Suddenly, there was an object flying through the air and it hit Edgar on the head. The old warlock fell to the ground, unconscious. The object was a frying pan from Edgar’s kitchen.

"What. Was.  _That_ ?" Magnus asked and turned around to see Jace shrugging his shoulders. 

"I thought that he was getting annoying." He said simply.

"He was." Clary confirmed and looked at Edgar pitifully. "But did you really have to knock him out? It wasn't his fault that he was so... strange." 

"Do you really think so?" Isabelle asked and looked around in the room, until she discovered a bookshelf. "Magnus." She said and pointed at it. 

He followed her gaze quickly and grinned slightly. "Thank you, Isabelle." There were some plants standing in front of the shelf. Apparently, Edgar had tried to hide it (he hadn't been very successful because the plants were way too small for the big shelf). After some moments, Magnus found the book he was searching for. It was very small – even smaller than the book of the white – and completely black. He opened it slowly just to see that it was written in a long-forgotten language that was only known by a few people. Luckily, Magnus was able to read it. 

"Did you find it?" Alec asked curiously and Magnus handed him the book with a smile. 

"And how is it?" Simon asked and raised his eyebrows. 

"Well, it's not very... impressing." Alec murmured and Magnus grabbed the book out of his hands again. 

"Most important books don't look cool." He grinned and wrapped his arms around Alec. 

"Um guys, I don't want to interrupt you, but what are we going to do with him?" Isabelle was standing next to Edgar, who was still unconscious. 

"I can do that." Magnus announced, knelt down next to him and murmured a few words. Blue sparks appeared on his hands and they hadn't completely vanished when he stood up again and took Alec's hand. At the questioning expressions of the others, he grinned. "When he wakes up, he'll remember our nice conversation and that he gave us the book willingly because he wants that we'll save the world. And he'll think that you have hit him because he insulted you, just in case you want to know that." He added and Jace grinned triumphantly. 

"Hey!" He complained when Clary hit his arm. "Why did you do that?" 

"You don't beat someone when he's mean to you!" She grinned and suddenly, Jace took her into his arms and carried her out of the cottage. 

"Should we go as well?" Magnus asked and offered his arm to Alec who grinned widely. 

"Of course, at least there are still many things to do." 

With those words, Alec took Magnus' arm and together, they left the house and Bhutan behind (hopefully forever). 


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"So this is the legendary book which helps us to save the world?" Jace asked and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. 

They were in Magnus' house (as they called it) again and the book was lying on the table. Everyone was sitting in his or her usual place, which meant that Isabelle, Simon and Jace were sitting on the big couch, while Clary sat on Jace's lap and Magnus and Alec shared the small sofa. 

"Yep, that's it." Magnus confirmed and leaned back in his seat. 

Slowly, the blond shadowhunter raised his eyebrows. "You've nothing more to say to it?" 

"Well, it you want I can tell you the long story of the book, which starts about three hundred years after Christ. It was written by a very powerful warlock and a –" 

"Okay, you don't have to say anything else! I get it." Jace said quickly and Magnus grinned at the look in his face. 

"And you're sure that the spell you need is in the book?" Simon asked in an insecure way and he nodded quickly. 

"Of course, otherwise we wouldn't have searched for it. Or don't you trust me?" He raised an eyebrow slowly and Simon paled. Somehow, it was good to see because some time ago, that wouldn't have been possible. After all, vampires were always as white as a sheet. 

"No, I mean we trust you! Why would you think something like that –" 

"Simon, I think he's making fun of you." Isabelle murmured and suddenly, Simon looked very embarrassed. He didn't dare to look Magnus in the eyes anymore and the warlock couldn't stop himself from laughing quietly. 

Alec shot him a reproachful look, but when the others started to laugh as well, he also had to smile. After some moments, all of them became serious again and looked at the book curiously. 

Magnus took it into his hands and stroked the cover absently. This book had a very long story and many dark and terrible events were related to it. He shivered at the thought of some spells that were in it and planned to hide it as good as possible after they had summoned the angel (of course just if it worked and they survived everything). It could be the reason for many catastrophes and some of them could be nearly as bad as the situation they found themselves in right now. 

Then he opened the book and looked at the first pages contemplatively. There was an introduction that told the reader everything about the history of the book (Magnus didn't read it, at least Jace had decided that it wasn't important) and then there were some words written about the things in it.

_Beware, you, who wants to discover the most guarded secrets of magic, you are beginning to wander on strange, interlacing paths that are not always easy to follow..._

Magnus shivered at those words and suddenly, he felt Alec wrapping an arm around him. The blue eyes of the young shadowhunter were shining and Magnus felt his heart beginning to beat faster. That happened every time Alec looked at him and he still couldn't believe how much he loved him. His lips twitched and Alec nodded understandingly. Magnus had told him before that some of the things in the book could cause much damage and weren't very nice to read. Alec's gesture showed that he was there for Magnus in this situation, which wasn't easy and that he wouldn't leave him in this battle or afterwards, if everything went well. 

So he looked down on the book in his lap again and began to turn the pages carefully. It didn't take very long until he found the spell he was searching for and then, a little smile appeared on his lips. Maybe there  _really_ was some hope. 

"Did you find it?" Apparently, Clary had seen his smile and now everyone turned around to look at him again curiously. 

Magnus nodded and looked at the book again. Page 42. He had to remember that. "It's much easier than I thought." He told the others and grinned slightly. "It will take some time, but if everything else works, I won't have problems at using the spell." 

"So we have a chance?" Alec asked and Magnus could see the hope in his eyes. 

"Yes, maybe we can win this war." He assured him and kissed him on the cheek. 

Suddenly, there was a loud crack outside of the house. And then, four shadowhunters had jumped to their feet and held their weapons in their hands. Magnus and Simon were still sitting, but that wasn't a surprise. At least the others were trained to react fast in situations like this. 

But what kind of situation was it? He already suspected something. Nevertheless, he hoped that he was wrong. 

He followed the others to the window immediately and he could hear Simon's footsteps right behind him. What he saw outside felt like a flashback and when he heard Clary gasping, he knew that she thought the same. 

This time, it weren't just hundreds of demons. It looked as if thousands of them wanted to enter the city and they were storming towards the shields as fast as possible. So now was the time to see whether Magnus had been successful at strengthening them or if Alicante would be occupied by demons soon. 

Everyone in the room was holding his breath and it seemed like the demons needed ages to reach the city. And when they did, there was a blue flash of light and for a few seconds, nobody was able to see anything. However, the demons were thrown back and their cries were hurting in the ears of Magnus' friends. At least he thought that because they were covering them with their hands. Since his father was a demon, their cries didn't affect him very much. He heard them, but they weren't painful. 

He touched Alec's shoulder and when the noises fell silent, they all just stared out of the window. The sky was glowing in a blue light and the demons were sneaking around the city, not daring to touch the shields again. 

"It has worked." Jace murmured and Magnus could hear that he was impressed. 

"Most certainly." He confirmed and when he turned around to look at the other's faces, he saw that they were all staring at the demons in front of Alicante wide-eyed. 

"Is it glowing because of you?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows. 

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure. Maybe because I cast the spell." Magnus shrugged and a smile spread on his lips. "But does it matter? The demons can't come into the city and we should be happy about it, right?" 

"Well, if you say it like this..." Isabelle muttered and put her dagger into her belt again. Magnus thought that she looked disappointed, but he brushed the idea aside quickly. She wasn't like Jace, was she? Well, maybe a little bit, but not completely. 

"And now we have to search a ghost?" Jace sat down on the couch again, while his eyes were still looking out of the window. 

"Yes, and it won't be very nice." Magnus answered and took Alec's hand. It didn't look like the young shadowhunter wanted to sit down again and he had no problem with standing for some time, so he stayed with him. Even before he said the next words, Magnus knew that his friends would protest loudly. "I don't think that you should come with me." 

He was right. 

They all started to yell at him at once and it was difficult to understand anything. However, Magnus realized that Alec hadn't said anything and when he looked at him, he saw the pain in his eyes. 

Suddenly, Magnus felt his heart sink and for a few seconds, he couldn't breathe anymore. He hated to see his beloved Alec like that and he wanted to beat himself for hurting him. Bud did he have a choice? He didn't know how the ghost in London would react when he appeared with five shadowhunters. It would have been dangerous to go there alone and maybe the Nephilim would make her even more angry than she already was when she was called. 

"You don't want me to come with you?" Alec whispered and could see disbelief and anger in his eyes. 

"It's too dangerous. The ghost won't be happy to be called and I don't know what she thinks about the Nephilim. I don't want you to get hurt." The last words weren't more than a whisper and he hoped that the others didn't hear them. 

"But you can't just leave us here! You said that we would do it together!" Clary protested loudly and when Magnus looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that her green eyes were staring at him angrily. 

"That doesn't mean that I can't change my mind." He said simply.

"Magnus, you're being stupid." Isabelle growled and for half a second, he thought that she could also be a werewolf. 

"Do you really think that it matters to us if it's dangerous?" There was the usual sarcasm in Jace's voice and Magnus would have liked to look at him reproachfully, but he couldn't stop looking at Alec. 

"And what if something happens to you?" The blue-eyed boy breathed and Magnus saw that he shivered. "We can't do this without you!  _I_ can't do this without you!" That was enough. Without saying anything, Magnus hugged him tightly. 

"Do you really think that I can do this without you?" He laughed weakly. "I want you to be safe! I hate every second I know you're in danger, Alec. And if there's a moment when I can keep you safe, I'll do it. And it isn't safe to come with me to London!" 

"And is it safe for you?" 

"Well, that's something I'll have to see." 

"And why is it something different when you go alone? We can help you!" Alec begged and Magnus began to feel cold. Could he really let the others come with him? Probably not. And would they go with him? Definitely. 

"Look, I know that you really want to come with me and you don't care about the risks. I appreciate that very much, however –" 

"Okay, just... stop talking!" Isabelle said loudly and raised her hands to make him fall silent. "Shut up, Magnus. You know that we'll come with you if you want it or not. We're your friends, no, your  _family_ " She said with a look towards Alec, who was holding Magnus as if he would never let him go again. "and we won't let you do this alone!" 

Now he was speechless. He would have expected something like that from Alec, Clary or maybe Simon, but Isabelle? 

"I won't let you go alone." Alec agreed and the tone of his voice was determined. "You promised that we would stay together until the end." 

For a few moments, the room was silent. Magnus closed his eyes and thought about everything again. Was it possible to leave tomorrow morning before the others were awake? No. They were shadowhunters, which meant that they noticed everything. And Jace stood up very early every morning. And besides, Alec tended to wrap his arm around Magnus when he was sleeping and he was so strong that it was difficult for the warlock to get up without him noticing it. 

With a sigh, he gave in. "Okay, but we have to leave very soon." 


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"Do you really thing that the ghost will help us?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows, even if he knew that Magnus couldn't see him. 

They were lying in Magnus' bed and the warlock had wrapped his arms around Alec from behind his back, so that they couldn't look into each other’s eyes. He knew that Magnus didn't mean it like that and that he just liked being in this position and that's why Alec didn't complain. Besides, he liked it as well. 

There were a few moments of silence and Alec could imagine the thoughtful expression on his boyfriend’s face very well. Then he heard a soft sigh and Magnus moved even closer to him, so that he thought that he could nearly hear the other one's heartbeat. 

"To be honest, I don't know it, Alexander." Magnus whispered and there was concern in his voice. "Many years have passed since I last met her and she wasn't very... communicative. Probably, that won't have changed and then it'll be difficult to convince her of the importance of her help. It could also be possible that she's even more... bleary than before. Then we'll have a real problem." 

"But didn't you say that she woke up when Sebastian had attacked the institute in London?" As usual, Alec remembered everything Magnus had said. Most of the time, that surprised Magnus because he forgot most of the things he'd been telling others. 

"Yes, but that was a temporary state. I'm not sure, but now she could also be angrier because of that. It’s not like Jessamine, the ghost in the institute of London. Jessamine was a shadowhunter once and she’s still the same as when she was alive. Our ghost is something different. She’s lived hundreds of years ago and she forgot that she was human a long time ago." 

Alec felt his heart sink and now he was glad that Magnus would let them come with him when he tried to talk to the ghost. "So we don't know what will happen tomorrow." He stated and the other man's hair tickled his neck when he nodded. 

"And that's why I didn't want you to come with me." Magnus murmured and buried his face in Alec's t-shirt. "It's too dangerous." 

"Yes, you're right. It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Even if we've never dealt with a ghost before, we would find a way to help you and keep you safe, I'm sure of that." Alec said immediately and tried to turn around, so that he could look into Magnus' eyes. But the warlock only tightened his grip around Alec's waist. Could they really fight a ghost? He wasn’t so sure, but Magnus didn’t have to know about his doubts.

"Maybe that's true. However, I don't know if shadowhunters can do anything against an angry ghost. Sometimes, even warlocks can't win a fight against one. Dealing with ghosts is a very dangerous and complicated business." 

"And you've done it before." Alec remarked and shivered at the thought of it. If something would have happened to Magnus, he would have never met him.

Suddenly, Magnus let go of Alec's waist and he was able to roll over. The cat-like eyes of the warlock were looking at him anxiously and without saying anything, he touched Alec's cheek and kissed him. 

First, the kiss was soft and sweet. Alec pulled Magnus closer and then, the taller man was lying on top of him. He touched Magnus' back softly and when he felt his hands in his hair, Alec moaned. 

"Don't worry about me." Magnus murmured into the kiss and Alec noticed that his voice sounded rough. 

"I'm always worried about you." He replied and began to pull Magnus' shirt out of his pants (which wasn't easy because they were so tight). 

"Stupid Nephilim." The warlock growled and the next kiss wasn't that soft and sweet anymore. 

Alec knew that he wanted to say something else, but he just had forgotten it. Well, maybe he would remember it any time soon. Right now, there were different things that attracted his attention. At least there was a very beautiful and hot man sitting in front of him, who just started to unbutton his shirt. 

* * *

The next morning, Jace and Clary were already waiting for them in front of Magnus' house. They were wearing the usual black gear shadowhunters preferred (just like Alec) and he could see many weapons in their belts. Apparently, they didn't know which weapon could do anything against a ghost and so they had decided to take many different ones with them. Honestly, it looked like they’d emptied the armoury of Alicante.

Alec couldn't see Isabelle and Simon, but he knew that they would come soon. At least they didn't want to be left behind. Somehow, his sister still thought that she had to protect him, even if he was her big brother. Well, maybe the fact that they'd already lost their younger brother was responsible for this.

"Wow, you're looking very... unostentatious." Jace said in an impressed tone and Alec could see Magnus raising an eyebrow. 

"And I didn't know that you could even use words like that." He replied simply, which made Alec laugh. He turned away quickly and pretended to search Isabelle and Simon on the streets, but he knew that Jace had heard him. 

Exceptionally, he had to agree with him. Magnus was wearing black, ripped jeans, a white shirt with red buttons and a black jacket without much glitter on it. His hair was as spiky as always and he didn't use much make-up this morning. To Alec, he looked very beautiful. 

"Okay, Alec. I get it. You're on his side." Jace said loudly and when he turned around again, his  _parabatai_ was grinning at him slightly. 

"Well, isn't that how it should be?" Magnus asked and crossed his arms while a questioning expression appeared on his face. 

"He's right." Clary agreed and Jace shot her an angry look. 

Before anyone could say something else, there was the sound of high heels in the street behind Clary and Jace. Isabelle and Simon were walking towards them quickly and it surprised Alec to see that the new shadowhunter was carrying weapons as well. 

"Ah, there you are." Magnus greeted them enthusiastically and grinned. His cat-like eyes were shining and he clapped his hands. "We've been waiting for you." 

"I thought that Simon needed a few weapons." Izzy explained and nodded into his direction. Simon didn't look very happy and Alec could understand him. Searching a ghost was dangerous for experienced shadowhunters and he didn't have the chance to train very much, which made it even worse. When Simon saw Clary and the others, his expression changed and a determined look appeared on his face. 

Alec had seen a look like that on his face before and the memories which appeared right now didn't make him very happy.  _I am willing..._

"Shall we go then?" Jace asked and luckily, Alec couldn't think of Edom and Magnus' father anymore. 

"Yes, I'll open a portal for us." Magnus answered, took Alec's hand and began to walk out of the city. 

* * *

"This is the institute?" Clary asked impressed and Alec was surprised too. The building in front of them looked really old and if he had to be honest, he had to admit that it was even more beautiful than the New Yorker institute.

"Yes, that's it. But we won't enter it." Magnus said quickly and began to walk down the street again. Since Alec held his hand, he had to follow him and wasn't able to look at one of the most famous institutes anymore. 

"And where are we going then?" He asked and raised his eyebrows at the warlock. 

"Behind the institute, there is a small street which is always empty. The mundanes avoid going there because of the uneasy feeling it causes." 

"The ghost?" Isabelle asked and Magnus nodded without saying anything else. 

He had been right. When they entered the street, Alec's head began to hurt and there was a strange feeling in his stomach. As if he would have eaten something decayed. He felt the weak urge to run away again, but it wasn't too strong yet. 

"For mundanes, that feeling is ten times stronger." Magnus whispered into his ear and Alec noted that he didn't seem to feel bad. "Downworlders aren't affected by the presence of ghosts." He added when he was the surprised look on Alec's face. “Hundreds of years ago, the shadowhunters in London tried to scare the ghost away, but they weren’t sucessful. Ever since, this street is mostly ignored.” 

"And how do you call it?" 

" _Her._ " Magnus corrected Simon quickly and looked up for a few seconds. Then he relaxed again and a little smile appeared on his lips. "I'm going to call her in the language of the ghosts. It took me years to learn it because it's very difficult to speak and after I've done it, it will take some time until she appears. Maybe you should take a few steps back." He added and an apologetic expression appeared on his face. 

Alec kissed Magnus on the cheek quickly. "Be careful." He whispered and turned around to go to the others, who were standing a few meters behind Magnus. Well, everyone except Jace was standing. Alec's  _parabatai_ sat on the stairs in front of one of the empty houses. 

Magnus began to murmur incantations in a strange language and Alec and his friends had no idea what he could be saying. After about ten minutes, Magnus also took a few steps back and now he was standing next to Alec, who took his hand quickly. His free hand was resting on his seraph blade, even though he knew that it couldn't injure a ghost. However, it made him feel much better. Almost as if he would have a chance. 

Magnus had been right. It took some time until the ghost appeared. Twenty-three minutes. At least that's what Simon told them later. 

First, the air was just shimmering in a white light. But then, it seemed as if fog appeared and began to form a figure. The figure of a young woman with long hair that looked like stars were woven into it. Even though Alec didn't like women very much, she made him speechless. The others seemed to feel the same because Jace stood up slowly and Simon tried to take a step forward (of course Isabelle didn't let him do that). 

"Who are you that you dare to wake me from my sleep?" The voice didn't sound like a woman, but it also didn't resemble any other tone Alec had heard in his life. The ghost was speaking very slowly and apparently, she was still tired because the words sounded dull and weak. 

"It is me, Magnus Bane, my lady." Magnus answered and bowed into her direction. 

"Ah, Magnus Bane. It has been so long..." 

The fog seemed to fade and Alec looked at Magnus wide-eyed, but he looked just as surprised as he felt. "We need your help, my lady." 

"What do you want to do with my help? Haven't I stopped the attack on the Institute many years ago? Isn't that enough?" 

Magnus had forgotten to mention that ghosts like to ask questions, Alec thought. 

"This time, our problem is much bigger than this." Magnus explained everything that had happened as quickly as possible and when he finished, there were a few moments of silence. 

"I do not think that my protection will help you. The angel you want to call is too powerful. It will be easy for him to overbear it." There wasn't any pity in her voice, but she sounded thoughtful and that didn't destroy Alec's hope completely. 

"But there's nothing else we can do." Magnus murmured and looked at the ghost entreatingly. 

"And if my protection works, it will be unlikely that you survive the battle. Many demons will attack and the angel will not be able to defeat the prince of hell immediately. That takes some time and you have to fight alone. And even if he can be defeated, it is possible that the most powerful demon, Lucifer, will get angry and intervenes so that the demons will not lose the battle." 

Now Alec could see Magnus swallowing and he didn't seem to find the right words. But then, he shook his head slowly and took a step forward, at which he let go of Alec's hand. He would have loved to protest. The thought of Magnus getting closer to that ghost (which looked scary, by the way) made him shiver and he felt the urge to protect the warlock. "We need your protection. Even if it won't work, we can say that we've tried everything that's possible. It gives us a small chance to win this war and it would be unwise not to take it." 

The ghost seemed to smile and began to walk towards Magnus slowly. She looked at him for a long time and then, she began to shine even brighter. "You have not changed, Magnus Bane. And yet, I have to say that you are a completely different person now. The true love you have found not long ago has changed many sides of you, while others are still the same." She looked at Magnus for some more moments and Alec began to feel very bad. His heart was racing and he wanted to shout at the ghost that she should leave Magnus alone, but somehow, he wasn't able to speak. 

"I will give you my protection. But not because of the Nephilim." 

Alec could see Magnus raising his eyebrows slowly and he was also curious now. 

"And why will you give it to me then?" Magnus asked hesitantly and the smile on the ghost's face grew wider. 

"Because of your love to the boy who wants to protect you so much." Suddenly, the ghost started to shine so bright that they all had to turn around because the light was dazzling them. "Use it wisely." 

When the light started to fade again, the ghost was gone. However, there was a little bottle standing right in front of Magnus and it seemed to shine in the same light as the ghost. 

"Is that the protection?" Clary asked quietly and Magnus just nodded. He picked it up and looked at it for a few seconds. 

"It doesn't seem to be very... impressive. At least not after the ghost." Simon murmured and Isabelle shot him a sharp look, which made him blush. 

"Maybe we should go back to Idris." Magnus suggested, even though he still seemed to be lost in thoughts. "There's still much to do." 

Alec wrapped an arm around the warlock and smiled. "We'll survive all this. And besides, I love you too." 

With a smile, Magnus leaned in to kiss him. "I love you, Alexander." The kiss only lasted a few seconds and when they pulled away, there seemed to be a little more hope. 

"Come on, let's go." Magnus took Alec's hand and together, they left the street behind.


	22. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"Who do you think should get the protection?" Alec asked and raised his eyebrows at them. 

They were still in London and Magnus just wanted to open a portal that brought them back to Idris. Now, he let his hands sink and shrugged. "It's not easy to decide." He began and hesitated for a moment, which made the expression on Jace's face turn sceptical. "Since I'm a Downworlder, I can't take it. It would kill me immediately and I don't think that you would like that." At those words, Alec paled and Magnus took his hand quickly. "So one of you'll have to do it." 

"And I think we all agree that I should be the one who talks to the angel." Jace announced and a large grin appeared on his face. Magnus knew this grin well enough to say that it didn't mean anything good, but he stayed silent. 

"And why is that?" Isabelle asked slowly and the unconvinced look on her face nearly made Magnus laugh. 

"I'm awesome." Jace said simply and Clary rolled her eyes. Now Magnus couldn't stop himself from grinning any longer and he saw that Alec tried to hide his amusement as well. Somehow, it was strange that they had fun in a situation like this, but maybe that was necessary. How could you have hope when everyone around you was in a bad mood? 

"That doesn't mean that you're the only one who can do it!" Clary countered and crossed her arms. She was so small that the gesture looked kind of cute... 

"It's too dangerous for you." Jace said immediately and repeated the words Magnus had used the previous evening to convince the others that he should talk to the ghost alone. 

The reaction to it was also the same. 

"But isn't it dangerous for you as well?" Clary asked loudly and at the same time, Isabelle shouted something Magnus didn't completely understand. 

"I don't care if it's risky for me. As long as you're not in danger, everything's fine." Was there really despair in Jace's voice or did he just imagine that? 

"And you think that it's okay for us if you risk your life  _again_ ?" Alec stressed the last word very much and Magnus knew that he hated the thought that something could happen to his  _parabatai_ . Some time ago, it would have made him jealous that Alec cared about Jace so much, but now he knew better. To Alec, Jace was like a brother and he loved him as much as his other family members. His love to Magnus was something completely different. Luckily.

"Oh come on Alec, after all this time, you should've gotten used to it!" Jace said serenely and looked at all of them impatiently. 

"Maybe it's not that easy to put up with those things." Clary murmured and Alec nodded.

"Clary –" Jace began, but she raised her hand to make him fall silent again. 

"You don't get it, do you? You always risk your life because you think that you deserve death. I know that you just want to save us all right now, but somehow, it reminds me of the events of last year. And they weren't very nice, remember? So could you please let us the chance to do the same for you, Jace? We all love you (at those words, Magnus raised his eyebrows) and maybe we also want  _you_ to stay out of danger." 

To his surprise, Jace didn't say anything for a few moments. Then he took a step forward, wrapped his arms around Clary and kissed her. But it wasn't just a normal, sweet kiss. It looked as if he was going to die and this was the last time he was able to kiss her. First, Clary seemed to be petrified and the tension in her body told Magnus that she didn't expect something like that. But then she relaxed a little bit and.... Magnus looked away quickly. 

The others had turned around as well and Alec raised his eyebrows at Magnus questioningly. He shrugged and squeezed Alec's hand. Sometimes, it wasn't easy to understand straight people. And trying it was a waste of time. Especially if those people were Clary and Jace. 

"Can we turn around again or do you want to eat each other’s faces?" Isabelle asked loudly and when Magnus looked at her, he saw a big grin on her lips.

"Maybe they should have told us to turn around earlier." Simon murmured and Alec nodded quickly. 

"Too late." Magnus grinned and dared to look over his shoulder. Clary and Jace were standing next to each other and she tried to save her hair which was – to be completely honest – a mess. "And you won't be able to fix that again, sweetheart." 

"Sweetheart?" Clary asked indignantly and crossed her arms. Because of her hair, that looked even more funny and Magnus couldn't stop himself from grinning widely at the little girl. 

"Okay, red-head?" 

"Nope." 

"Dwarf?" 

"No!"

"Little hellcat?" 

"Magnus!" 

"What?"

"Stop that, it's not the right moment to be stupid." 

Magnus rolled his eyes and next to him, Alec chuckled softly. Then he pointed at Clary threateningly. "We'll talk about that again!" He whispered darkly and now a weak smile appeared on her lips as well. 

"So who'll do it?" Jace asked loudly and looked at them in an annoyed way. 

"I'll do it." Three voices answered him at the same time. Magnus looked at Alec warningly. He didn't want him to risk his life. The thought of losing him made him shiver and even now, he began to feel sick. If something would happen to Alec in this war, he wouldn't want to live anymore... 

"Stop that." Alec murmured, so that only Magnus could hear him. He raised his eyebrows at the shadowhunter in surprise and Alec looked at him earnestly. "Stop thinking that you could lose me. I promised to stay at your side, didn't I?" Magnus had already opened his mouth to answer him, but Alec just continued. "And I will say it again, just to make sure you don't forget it. As long as we're together, nothing will happen to you or to me. We'll get through all this. I promise." 

Magnus stared at him for a few seconds and then, a large smile appeared on his lips. "I would really like to kiss you right now, but after what we've just seen, I won't do it. I love you, Alexander." He whispered and even though he said that he wouldn't do it, he kissed him quickly. 

"I love you too, Magnus." Alec replied and smiled as well. 

"And we've just decided that Jace will take the protection and talk to the angel, even though Clary hates the idea." Isabelle announced loudly and made the two of them turn around quickly. Alec blushed, while Magnus just raised his eyebrows. 

"And with 'we', you mean..." 

"Jace." Isabelle nodded and Simon, who was standing next to her, rolled his eyes. 

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" 

* * *

Magnus was the last one who went through the portal to Idris. 

They arrived on a little hill that wasn't far away from the city. It was difficult do open a portal in Alicante and since Magnus needed all of his strength to summon the angel later, he didn't bring them into the city. 

The first thing he noticed when his feet touched the grass was the silence. The others were already waiting for him and he saw Alec watching the city with concern in his eyes. When he followed his boyfriend's gaze, Magnus realized why he was worried immediately. 

"The towers aren't glowing anymore." He stated and Jace nodded. 

"That's not good..." 

"No, certainly not." Magnus agreed and took Alec's hand.

"But what happened?" Simon asked and shot Magnus a questioning look. 

"Honestly, I have no idea." He admitted and sighed loudly. Why had everything to be so difficult?

"Then we should go and search someone who knows it." Alec suggested and without saying anything else, they began to walk towards the demon towers. Magnus took Alec's hand quickly and the lips of the beautiful shadowhunter twitched. 

The silence outside of the city couldn't be found somewhere in Alicante. There, most people were running around hectically, searching for weapons and a place to hide their children. Magnus and his friends began to walk faster and when he looked around more closely, he could see the fear in the eyes of many shadowhunters. However, there were also many people who seemed to be determined to fight against the demons and win this war. A few months ago, he wouldn’t have admired them for that, but right now he wanted to fight as well. For the world, his friends and mostly for Alec, the love of his long life. 

"Isabelle?" A loud voice behind them asked and they turned around quickly to see Maryse and Jia Penhallow standing in front of them. 

"Mum?" Isabelle asked and Magnus could hear that she was as surprised as he was himself to see the two women here. "What are you doing here?" 

"We were searching for you." Maryse replied quickly and then she looked at Magnus seriously. "The shields broke down some time ago. We don't know how it could happen. The towers are guarded very well and everything was calm there. But then we heard a sound which was similar to a hiss and then the shields began to glow in a bright light, just before they faded." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows at her. "Did the light have a certain colour?" 

The others seemed to be surprised by his question, but Magnus didn't care about it right now. Something had come to his mind and he needed to know if his presumption was correct. 

"Red, why do you ask?" Jia answered and looked at him questioningly. 

"We have to go." Magnus said in an alarmed way and began to pull Alec towards the Angel Square. 

"But... what... Magnus, what happened?" Alec was confused and Magnus understood him very well, so he looked at him apologetically. 

"Red is the colour of demons. Something much stronger than me has destroyed the shields around the city." 

Slowly, realization spread out on Alec's face. "So you mean..." 

"You could also say  _someone_ much stronger." 

"Belphegor?" 

Magnus just nodded and looked over his shoulder quickly to make sure that the others were following them. Jace, Isabelle, Maryse and Jia were right behind them, while Clary and Simon had more difficulties at keeping up with them. 

"We have to summon the angel now!" He called loudly and tried not to run into other people. 

"The Angel Square is sealed off. You can do it there!" Jia answered and for a few seconds, their eyes met. 

"That's good. You have to make sure that no one distracts us!" 

"That won't be a problem!" 

When they got closer to the Angel Square, Magnus noticed that there weren't many shadowhunters on the streets anymore. 

"They're all going to the borders of Alicante." Maryse explained when she saw the expression on his face. "The demons will come from the north and the west, but we have to make sure that the entire city will be guarded." 

Magnus nodded slowly, but before he could say anything, the sky began to get darker. 

"We don't have much time anymore, do we?" Alec asked and it sounded as if he already knew the answer. 

"You'll find the Square without us, right?" Jia asked and looked at Magnus apologetically. Apparently, she didn't want to be impolite. "We have to go to the others again." 

"Then you should go. And I wish you good luck." A little smile appeared on Magnus' lips when he saw Maryse hugging her children, Jace, Clary and even Simon. 

"Be safe." Maryse murmured before she turned around to follow Jia, who'd already disappeared in the next street. 

"Shall we go then?" Magnus looked at the others questioningly and without waiting for an answer, he took Alec's hand again and they continued running towards the centre of Alicante. 


	23. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The Angels Square impressed Alec, no matter how often he'd already been there. 

It was a very big place in the middle of the city and in every other situation, he would've said that it was beautiful, but now it wasn't the right moment for it. Normally, the Square wasn't filled with silence and you could meet many people there. Presently, it was empty and the sky which was darkening very fast worried Alec very much. 

It showed them that the demons would attack soon and that's why they had to hurry up. Well, Magnus had to hasten, while Alec and his friends could just stand there and watch him drawing the pentagram. 

The warlock was kneeling on the floor, but Alec couldn't see what he was doing because Isabelle and the others were blocking his sight. Since Alec had seen Magnus drawing pentagrams many times by now, he didn't really care about that. This one was made after the same scheme, just much bigger. He was only hoping that Magnus wouldn't get distracted by anything, so that he couldn't finish the pentagram. 

_That_ would be really bad. Without a completed pentagram, Magnus wouldn't be able to control the angel, well no, talk to him. Demons could be controlled, with angels the situation was different. His boyfriend had explained him the previous evening that summoning an angel was more like asking him if he  _might_ help them. That was also the reason why the one who entered the pentagram after Magnus had called him had to use the protection given by the ghost. Without that, the angel could just say no, kill the summoner and leave again. 

At least the part with the killing couldn't happen now. Hopefully... After what the ghost had said, Alec had his doubts about the effect of the protection. However, Jace didn't seem to worry about it. But when did Jace worry about everything except Clary's safety? 

"What is he doing there?" Simon whispered to Clary and Alec raised his head to look at the two friends. Izzy and Jace were watching them as well and he noticed that Jace was playing with one of his knifes composedly. 

"He draws the runes which are necessary to complete the pentagram." Clary explained quietly and pointed at the signs Magnus was drawing on the ground. 

"But they look different from the ones he uses for demons or even Raziel." Simon remarked and Clary nodded. 

"You heard him say that every angel has his own way to be summoned as well."

For a few seconds, Simon was silent and Alec thought that he tried to remember Magnus' words of the previous day. Alec hadn't forgotten a single one of them. 

"And how long will it take?" This time, Isabelle was speaking and she turned around to raise her eyebrows at them – especially at Alec.

"I could be faster if you would stop talking!" Magnus shouted and suddenly, Isabelle, Clary and Simon looked very embarrassed. Simon even blushed and Alec knew that he was ashamed because he had started the conversation. 

The next minutes, everyone was silent and the only thing they could hear was the sound of Magnus' chalk scratching over the ground. Alec watched his movements closely and after some time, he noticed that the way Magnus raised his eyebrow when he was thinking about a rune was very cute. And then, the warlock touched his face briefly, which left a white line there. Even though the situation wasn't very nice, Alec had to smile and as if he knew that, Magnus raised his head for a few seconds and his lips twitched. 

Then, he continued drawing the pentagram and Alec looked at his weapons to make sure that everything he needed for the fight was there. He had his bow, two seraph blades, a small knife and a dagger which was a little longer. Of course he wasn't carrying as many weapons as Jace or Isabelle, but Alec didn't care. He had everything he needed and when Magnus was at his side during the battle, they were helping each other as good as possible, so nothing bad should happen. 

After some time, Magnus had finished the pentagram and stood up to have a look at it. The others walked towards him, but Alec noticed that Clary's gaze had become absent and she didn't follow them. It reminded him of the moments when she was creating new runes and an uneasy feeling appeared in Alec's stomach. What did the little, red-haired girl see? 

The expression on her face didn't last long and after she'd closed her eyes for a few seconds, Clary seemed to realize that he was watching her. With her hand which was nearly touching her  _stele_ , she scratched her nose quickly, but Alec had seen it either way. 

Slowly, he raised his eyebrows. "Are you alright?" He asked friendly and Clary nodded immediately. 

"I'm fine." She muttered and turned around to go to the others. Alec followed her more slowly since the look on her face made him wary. She had seen something and wasn't willing to tell them what exactly it was. Hopefully, that didn't cause any problems.

"The pentagram's complete." Magnus said contentedly. He had crossed his arms, but when he saw Alec, he took his hand quickly. "Now I can call Karael." 

"Why didn't I hear of him before?" Jace asked and looked at Magnus questioningly. 

"He's not very famous. Since we don't want an angel who's known by everyone, that doesn't matter, right? He's powerful and that's the important point." Magnus replied quickly and looked at the pentagram again. "You should take the protection now, Jace." 

"All right and don't worry about me!" Jace shot them a warning look and took the bottle Magnus was offering him. He opened it and grimaced. "Well, if I think about it again, you should worry about me. This smells like hell." 

"Not funny." Simon murmured, an uneasy expression on his face. To Alec's surprise, Isabelle took his hand and squeezed it to calm him down again. 

"And it's safe to take it?" Clary asked and her voice was filled with doubt. 

"I don't think that the ghost has betrayed us. Normally, she's not like that." 

"Normally?" Clary raised her eyebrows, but Magnus made a gesture to make her fall silent. 

"We should do it now." He said and looked to the sky for a few seconds. 

Jace shrugged and without hesitation, he emptied the bottle. Then, he began to cough, smiled at Alec and the others, kissed Clary quickly and walked into the pentagram. 

Magnus looked at Alec and the others. "You should take a few steps back, this won't be nice." He murmured and the others followed his orders quickly. 

"Be careful." Alec whispered and a small smile appeared on Magnus' lips. 

"I love you, Alexander." 

"I love you too, Magnus." 

And then, they kissed each other. It wasn't a sweet kiss since there were too many things it had to express. They wanted to show them their love and tell the other one that everything would be all right. It was over far too soon and with a sigh, Alec loosened his grip around Magnus' shoulders. 

He took a few steps back until he stood next to Isabelle. 

Then, Magnus began to murmur incantations in a strange language and Alec watched his boyfriend and Jace, who was standing in the pentagram, a bored expression on his face. 

The first minutes, nothing happened. But then the pentagram started to glow in a blue light, which turned white after some more moments. The light was getting brighter and when Alec looked away, he saw Clary staring at Jace wide-eyed. 

Before he knew what was happening, her  _stele_ was in her hand and she began to draw a rune on her wrist. Alec knew that this couldn't be good and apparently, Isabelle had just noticed it too. They wanted to catch Clary, but Simon was standing in their way and for such a little person, she was very fast. 

Alec would have liked to call her. However, he didn't do it. Maybe it would have distracted Magnus and when he made a mistake at the incantation, something terrible could happen. So Isabelle and Alec could just watch Clary running into the pentagram and shoving Jace away, just in the moment Magnus stopped speaking and a bright flash of light appeared, making it impossible for anyone else to enter the circle of runes. 


	24. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Magnus stared at the scene in front of him in shock. Just in the moment he'd finished the incantation, Clary had jumped into the circle and shoved Jace away. Now she was standing in the middle of the pentagram and there was nothing they could do for her except praying that Karael would be merciful. But without the protection that wasn't very likely... 

"What is she doing?" Jace, who'd been able to prevent himself from falling to the ground, asked and looked at Clary anxiously.

"No idea!" Magnus answered loudly and looked from Jace to Clary. 

The well-known tension appeared all around the pentagram and he took a few steps back quickly, so that he was standing next to Alec. The young shadowhunter took his hand and Magnus could see the concern in his eyes. To be honest, he didn't have a good feeling as well. Jace should be the one who was standing in that circle right now, not Clary. She didn't take the protection and without it, it couldn't be said that she survived the meeting with the angel. 

Well, the ghost had said that the protection might not work, but either way it would have made everything less risky. And right now... Jace looked as if he was going to die. Magnus looked at him a little closer and noticed that he was as white as a sheet. He had clenched his fists and his knuckles were white too. The pained expression on his face and the fear in his eyes made it even worse and it seemed as if he wanted to run towards the pentagram. 

Apparently, Alec and Isabelle had noticed that as well since each of them grabbed one of Jace's arms, so that he wasn't able to move away anymore. However, Jace didn't even realize that they were touching him, he was far too focused on Clary and the light which was appearing in front of her. 

"That's not good, is it?" Simon asked. He was also watching Clary with an anxious expression on his face and Magnus shook his head. 

"No, of course it isn't, Sherlock!"

"I would like to know what rune she'd drawn on her wrist." Alec murmured thoughtfully and now he'd attracted everyone's attention. 

"She'd used a rune?" Jace asked, his voice filled with disbelief. 

"Yes, there was this strange look on her face that always appears when she's seeing new runes while Magnus was drawing the pentagram. And when he started to summon the angel, she grabbed her  _stele_ , used a rune on her wrist and began to run towards the circle." An apologetic look appeared on Alec's face and Magnus squeezed his hand quickly. 

"It's not your fault. I think we all know that no one can stop Clary when she's got a plan." He said quickly and hoped that the others wouldn't blame Alec for it. Of course they did.

"Why didn't you tell us those things before?" Jace asked in a sharp tone and Isabelle looked at her brother reproachfully. 

"I didn't think that could be important!" 

Now Jace seemed to become furious. At least Magnus thought that because it looked as if he was going to kill Alec right now. The only thing missing was that he touched his dagger threateningly. 

Magnus glanced at Jace warningly, but of course the shadowhunter just ignored him. 

"You never think that anything could be important! The only thing you care about is yourself and your problems. When something happens to us, it's just second-rate to you. And sometimes, I even think that you're too stupid to notice when one of us feels bad, Alec!" 

Four pairs of eyes were staring at Jace after his short speech. 

Magnus watched Alec out of the corner of his eyes and saw that his wonderful boyfriend was frozen in shock. His blue eyes were wide and full of pain and the expression on his face showed pure disbelief. He knew that Jace was one of the few people who could hurt Alec like that, but Magnus had never thought that he'd do it. Well, apparently he'd been wrong and that made him furious as well. 

Magnus focused on Jace and looked at him angrily. He narrowed his eyes and noticed that blue sparks were appearing on his hands, but he didn't care. 

"Stop talking to him like that!" He snapped and Jace raised his eyebrows slowly, while he crossed his arms. That made Magnus even angrier and he took a step forward. Luckily, he was taller than the shadowhunter. "It's not Alec's fault that Clary is standing in that circle right now. That was her decision and I think from all of us you know best how stubborn she can be sometimes. And if you ever call Alec egoistic or stupid again, you'll wake up as a pink parrot, I swear it to you! He's the nicest and most selfless person I've met in my whole life and you know that I've been walking on this earth for a long time by now. It's not easy to impress me anymore, but Alec did it the first time we met! And I can tell you that I don't regret a single second I've spent with him because he's worth so much more than you, Jace Herondale!" 

Jace looked at him with a bored expression on his face. However, Magnus knew that he just wanted to hide his fear. His eyes betrayed him. The blond shadowhunter had just opened his mouth to say something when Simon inhaled sharply. 

"I don't think it's the right time to have an argument." He murmured and when Magnus turned around to follow his gaze, he agreed with him immediately. Apparently, Jace and the others thought the same since they all stared at the angel wide-eyed. 

Alec took Magnus hand again and he squeezed it quickly, hoping that all the sparks had vanished. He knew that Alec and Jace would have to talk about their argument later, but now it wasn't the right moment for it. 

Karael was a very beautiful angel. He wasn't as tall as Raziel, but with his long, brown hair and the dark green eyes he looked very handsome. Well, except the fact that he was wearing a suit of armour, which – to be honest – didn't look very good. 

He definitely wasn't Magnus' type. Too shining, too majestic and far too much of an angel. 

The expression on Karael's face showed a mixture of boredom and annoyance. It seemed as if he didn't really care about the reason why he was there and that worried Magnus a little bit. When the angel didn't have the intention to help them and Clary wasn't protected against his anger, their plan could have a terrible ending.

"Who are you and why did you call me, Karael, the destroyer of all demons?" The voice of the angel was very loud and for a few seconds, Magnus was speechless. But then he noticed that Karael wasn't looking at Clary. At least not yet. He was watching him and that made the uneasy feeling in Magnus' stomach return. 

Apparently, Alec wasn't feeling very good as well because he was squeezing his hand so much that it hurt. Magnus didn't care about it since he had much bigger problems at the moment. 

"My name is Magnus Bane." He began and bowed slightly. "And I called you, the destroyer of all demons, because we have a problem and we need your help." In this moment, it wasn't easy to manage a smile, but luckily Magnus was successful. 

Karael raised one of his thin eyebrows slowly. Somehow, this gesture made him look even more dangerous and Magnus hoped that he wouldn't get to feel his anger. "And why do you think that you deserve my help, warlock?" He spat out the last word so that it sounded like an insult. "I do not need to be bothered with your problems and neither with the ones of the Nephilim." At those words, he looked at Alec and the others, which made Magnus shiver. Even Jace and Isabelle looked a little intimidated and that didn't happen very often. 

"We need your help because one of the nine princes of hell wants to obliterate us all." Clary's voice was loud and full of self-confidence. Magnus didn't know where she'd taken it from or if the rune she'd used was responsible for that. However, he admired the little, red-haired girl for that. And he was worried for her as well since it wasn't very intelligent to speak to an angel like that. 

Karael looked at Clary and it seemed as if he noticed her presence for the first time. For a few moments, the angel just watched her in silence, but then he narrowed his eyes and the tension in the air which had disappeared after Karael's occurrence returned, this time much stronger than before. 

"Why should one of the greater demons want to destroy this world?" The angel asked and somehow, it reminded Magnus of Edgar's words from the previous day. In contrast to Edgar, the voice of Karael wasn't filled with amusement. He was deadly serious.

"We don't know that. But who understands the thoughts and plans of demons?"

Magnus heard Jace inhaling sharply and his heartbeat seemed to stop as well. Maybe it wasn't good to talk to an angel in this way... 

"If you wouldn't have the mark which protects you from my anger on your skin, I would kill you, Valentine's daughter. Don't look so surprised. Of course I know who you are. The actions of your father and your meeting with Lord Raziel are well-known, even in heaven. And I also know that you freed Ithuriel, together with you, Jace Herondale." Now Karael turned his attention to Jace, who was watching him wide-eyed. Or maybe he only was so surprised because the rune Clary had used worked. Magnus couldn't tell.

"And I also know about your special skills, carriers of the blood of one of my kind. However, that doesn't justify why you have called me."

"I already explained to you that Belphegor appeared to us three days ago and that he wants to start a war against us." Clary tried again and Magnus would've liked to see the expression on her face. "You are the only one who can help us, Lord Karael." 

The angel frowned at her and for a few seconds, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "Don't call me 'Lord'. Raziel is our Lord and he is the only one who has the right to be called like that. You are allowed to say my name, Clary Fairchild. Or should I say Morgenstern? I know you prefer the first variant."

Clary nodded slowly. "Valentine's not my father." She said simply and a little smile appeared on the angel's face. 

"I know that as well. Didn't your mother marry Lucian Graymark, or should I say Luke Garroway, as you call him? And isn't he a downworlder, to be exact a werewolf?" 

"I don't care if he's a downworlder. They're not different from us. They have special gifts, that's true, but it doesn't mean that they're worth any less." 

Now the expression on Karael's face  _was_ thoughtful. "You have a strange attitude." He murmured and then the interested gaze of the angel stopped on Magnus again. Or to be more exact, on Magnus  _and_ Alec. "And I see that your friends seem to think the same. One of the Nephilim and a downworlder, connected through the bond of love. Isn't that strange?" Karael looked at Alec for a few moments and raised his eyebrows slowly. "You know that he will live forever, while your life will not last that long, do you, little shadowhunter? And what do you think will he do after your death? He will carry on living, search someone new and start all over again. And he will not do that only once, he will do that as long as he lives, which is – I have to repeat myself – forever." 

Alec looked at the angel wide-eyed, but to Magnus' surprise, his expression became angry, not scared. He had just opened his mouth to say something when another voice interrupted him. 

"You are changing the subject." Jace said quickly and Magnus shot him a grateful look, even though he was still very angry at him. "Will you help us in this war?" 

Karael looked at Jace for a few seconds and decided to ignore him. Then, he turned his attention to Clary again and shook his head slowly. "Why should I believe your story? In my entire life it didn't happen that one of the princes of hell wants to interfere in the events of the earth. So why should it happen right now?" 

"Well, maybe because –" Clary was interrupted by a loud growl all around the city. The sky which had already been dark began to glow in a red light again and suddenly, everything became quiet. 

"The time is up, Nephilim." A loud voice said and Magnus recognized Belphegor immediately. "Three days have passed since I announced your death and now the time has come to enforce the judgement. If you want to say good-bye to your family or other beloved persons, you should do it now because you will not survive this day.  _We have come._ " 

In every other situation Magnus would have laughed at the expression on Karael's face. The angel looked completely surprised and for a few seconds, he didn't know what to say. Then, the look on his face turned angry and he focused on Magnus and his friends for the last time. "I have changed my mind. You have been right and I did not believe you. I am sorry for that. It is Belphegor, one of my worst enemies. Do not worry, Nephilim. You are not alone in this war." And with those words, a long, shining sword appeared in Karael's hand. It looked similar to Glorious, but at the same time it was completely different. 

For some moments, they all stood there, frozen. But then, Jace took one of his seraph blades, murmured a name and it began to glow as well. "Do you want to stand here forever, or will you help us winning this war?" With those words, Jace and Karael turned around to face the demons who were running towards Alicante. 


	25. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Magnus stood on the Angels Square and looked at the demons who were storming towards the city walls of Alicante, where hundreds of shadowhunters and downworlders were waiting for them. In front of him, Jace and Karael had just drawn their weapons and for a few seconds it seemed as if both of them were angels. 

Karael was glowing in a white light anyway and with his blond hair Jace looked like he was shining as well. But while the angel was focusing on a spot in the sky which was getting darker with every moment, the shadowhunter had turned his attention to the demons running towards Alicante. 

"Is this...?" Simon asked slowly and swallowed. He was following Karael's gaze and when Magnus turned around to see what he was watching, he nodded. 

"Belphegor." He whispered.

First, you had to say that not all princes of hell looked similar to each other. Maybe some of them had things in common, but mostly they were completely different. With warlocks it was the same. You couldn't just compare Magnus with his cat-like eyes to Catarina, whose skin was blue. Or to Ragnor Fell with his green skin and his horns.

Now it was the same. Just a few months ago, Magnus and his friends had met his father, Asmodeus. However, Belphegor didn't have anything in common with him. While Magnus' father had paid much attention to looking human, Belphegor didn't seem to think that it was important. 

His skin was grey and it looked as if it was made of old paper. His hair was white and very long, but there were black strands in it and somehow, it seemed to be felted. And Magnus had to admit that fashion wasn't on top of Belphegor's list of his favourite topics. While Karael was wearing a suit of armour and carried many weapons with him, the demon was dressed in something that could have been a white suit many years ago (maybe two thousand?) and Magnus couldn't say if he was armed. 

Slowly, Karael took a step forward so that the distance between him and his enemy became a little smaller. Both of them were about two meters taller than normal humans and that made everything even more scary if you could say it like that. Or maybe more impressing. But could you use that word in a situation like this? 

Belphegor raised his eyebrows at Karael and crossed his arms. He didn't say anything, but the message was clear either way.  _What are you doing here?_

"Belphegor." The angel began and strengthened his grip around the sword. "It has been a long time since we last met and I did not think that I would ever see you again on this planet." 

"Then you shouldn't have come here, Karael." The prince of hell spat out the last word and Magnus noticed mockery in his voice. 

"It is not yours to decide whether I come here or not." Karael replied in an angry tone and pointed at Belphegor with his sword. "And I will not leave yet. Not before I have prevented you from destroying this world." 

Belphegor made a choking sound and after a few seconds, Magnus realized that he was laughing. " _You_ want to prevent me from killing all those humans? Why do you even care if they live or not?" 

Apparently, that made Karael really angry. The light around him began to shine brighter and suddenly, it became hot all around him. Magnus and his friends took a few steps back quickly and he realized that even Jace hadn't left the Square yet to get closer to the demons. But maybe that wouldn't be necessary since there were so much of them that they could overrun the city without problems. 

"Everyone deserves to live. And you have no right to fight against them, Belphegor. I give you one last chance to leave this world again, together with your army. But if you will not take it, I have to destroy you." The tone of the angel wasn't threatening, but only the way he was standing there was enough to show that he was deadly serious. 

The greater demon didn't seem to care about the warning tone of the angel since he just shrugged. "You can try that, but I don't think that you'll be successful at it." 

Magnus didn't see what happened after that because Alec grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the edge of the Square. He only heard a loud crack when the weapons of the angel and the demon met. Suddenly, he was glad that Alec had reacted so fast and they were moving away from the battle which had just started. 

"Are you alright?" Alec asked in a worried tone and looked from Magnus to Karael and Belphegor for a few seconds. Then his blue eyes met Magnus' green ones and in that moment, all that was important were the two of them. 

"Shouldn't I be the one who asks that question?" Magnus murmured and touched Alec's cheek softly, but the young shadowhunter just shook his head. 

"It's not important right now." 

"Later, you won't say that again." 

"At the moment we've much bigger problems." 

Magnus sighed. "Sadly, that's true." 

Now Alec took his hands and squeezed them. "Thank you." 

"What for?" He frowned and raised his eyebrows. It confused him that Alec said something like that right now. 

"Defending me." 

"Stupid Nephilim! You don't have to thank me for that! And besides, I meant every word I said." Magnus smiled at him. 

"And I mean it when I say that you have to get ready for the battle! The demons are coming." Isabelle shouted and when Magnus turned around to look at her, he saw that her whip was already in her hand. 

"Why do we always have those conversations during battles?" Magnus asked and Alec shook his head. 

"Don't ask me. I have no idea." 

Without saying anything else, Magnus pulled Alec closer and kissed him. He couldn't say how long the kiss lasted, but it showed them everything they had to know. I love you. I won't leave you. We will stay together until the end. We'll be there for each other, no matter what happens.  _You're everything to me._

When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing heavily. "Maybe we should get ready as well." Alec murmured and Magnus looked around to see the demons coming closer. 

"I think so too. They're already in the city." 

Alec took his bow into his hands and turned around to face the demons. Just when he wanted to shoot off his first arrow, Magnus let his fingers snap and it began to burn (of course the fire was blue). The arrow hit the demon in the head and suddenly, it exploded. 

That didn't seem to confuse Alec since he only turned around and grinned at Magnus. "Brilliant!"

He bowed slightly and smiled at his beloved shadowhunter for a few seconds. However, there wasn't any time to say something else. Behind Alec, about two dozen demons were running towards them and Magnus' eyes grew wide when he saw that some of them were even carrying weapons. 

Without hesitation, he shot a flash of blue light at them, which hit the first three demons. The others dodged quickly and continued to storm towards Magnus and his friends. Well, if you could say that. Isabelle and Simon were still there, but Clary and Jace had vanished. Presumably, they were already running towards the centre of the battle. Magnus knew Jace well enough to say that he couldn't resist being in the place with the most demons. 

"Do they have weapons?" Simon shouted unbelievingly and at the same time, Isabelle asked another question. 

"Am I wrong or are they  _intelligent_ ?" 

Magnus looked over his shoulder quickly to look at the two shadowhunters. Isabelle had her whip in her hand and Simon was holding a seraph blade, which was glowing slightly. "Yes to both questions! And I think you should concentrate now. Otherwise we could get problems soon!" 

"Don't we have them already?" Alec shouted and Magnus turned around again to see him fighting off the first of the demons. Instead of his bow, he was using one of his seraph blades now and it impressed Magnus again how skilful Alec could use the weapon. 

The next demons stormed against them and one of them was hit by another flash of light. Unfortunately, the others seemed to know that trick by now since they jumped out of the way quickly. Magnus growled angrily and this time, he used a little more power so that it wasn't possible to get out of the way anymore. 

He knew that he couldn't do that all the time, but maybe it would frighten away some of the demons. He was wrong. Now, three of them were focusing him and when one demon jumped towards Magnus, it was hit by a knife immediately. 

Alec positioned himself between Magnus and the raum demon quickly. He jumped over one of its tentacles and when the other one was about to strike him, he ducked. However, the shadowhunter didn't stand up. The demon was assuming it and that's why Alec rolled away. Now he was behind his back and when he stood up again, he stabbed the raum demon with his seraph blade. 

A little smile appeared on Alec's lips when he saw the expression on Magnus’ face. But while doing that, he didn't notice that the next demon was already running towards him. This time, Magnus pushed Alec aside and let blue sparks flying towards the demon. He fell to the ground and screamed since his skin began to dissolve. After a few seconds, he vanished with a crack and Magnus turned to his boyfriend again. 

"Maybe we should leave his place." He suggested and the shadowhunter nodded. 

They ran away as fast as possible; Magnus couldn't tell in which direction. He didn't care about that either way. There were so many demons in Alicante that it wasn't important anymore where you were. 

Suddenly, Magnus heard a loud scream and when he turned his head, he saw a young girl being surrounded by Dahak demons. He didn't hesitate and started to shoot blue balls of fire at them. Apparently, Alec had noticed the girl in danger as well. He was cutting the skin of many demons with his blade and in the course of this, he jumped around Magnus' fireballs as if he'd never done anything else in his life. 

It was always impressing to see how good Alec and Magnus were working together. A little smile spread on Magnus' lips and right now, he was determined to protect the young shadowhunter as best as possible. In his entire life, he'd never met anyone like Alec and their relationship was very special and completely different from the ones Magnus had before. He knew that Alec was the love of his life and he didn't know what he should do when something happened to him. 

They found Jace and Clary in front of the Accords Hall. They were fighting about two dozen demons with the help of many shadowhunters and werewolves. Magnus thought that he saw Luke (he had to be there since Jocelyn was fighting side by side with her daughter) and Maia. 

Right now, Clary and Jocelyn were trying to encircle a very tall demon Magnus hadn't seen before. It didn't take long until they had pushed him into the corner between two buildings. But instead of stabbing it, the two women ducked and a werewolf (now he was sure that it was Luke) jumped over their heads and slashed the demon’s throat. 

Magnus couldn't see what happened after that because a voice behind him called his name. He turned around quickly to see Alec trying to fight off four demons. They had surrounded him and suddenly, Magnus thought that his heartbeat was going to stop. 

He ran towards Alec as fast as possible and to his own surprise, he grabbed the knife he was carrying on his belt. He didn’t want to take it first, but Alec had insisted and so Magnus had given in. How could you say no to a shadowhunter who had so beautiful blue eyes? 

Magnus cut the arm of one demon, who turned around to face him immediately. Luckily, another one was focusing on him now as well. That made it easier for Alec to fight off the last two demons. 

Before one of them could react, Magnus had murmured a few words and the knife in his hand began to shine in a blue light. He threw it at the demon standing closer to him and without hesitation, Magnus let himself fall to the ground. The tail of the second demon moved through the air just where Magnus head had been a few seconds ago. 

He didn't have to stand up to defeat the demon. With the help of his magic, Magnus let him tumble. Then, he grabbed his knife again which was lying on the ground next to him since the first demon had dissolved already. Magnus sliced his throat quickly and tried to stand up. 

But to his surprise, something hard hit his back and he cried out in pain. When he rolled over to see who was attacking him, he wished that he hadn't done it. Only a few inches away from him, a Hellhound crouched on the floor. 

For a few seconds, Magnus was frozen. He didn't know how to move anymore and he wasn't even sure if it was wise to do anything in this situation. He had heard many stories about Hellhounds in his life and he'd also seen some of them. However, he'd never been  _that close_ to one of their kind and he didn't know how he would react to sudden movements. 

"Magnus!" Alec's voice didn't seem to be far away and he noticed that it was full of shock and fear. 

Magnus wanted to shout that Alec shouldn't help him and get away from there as soon as possible, but he knew that the shadowhunter would never leave him alone. And maybe it wasn't a good idea to scream when a Hellhound was thinking of thousand painful ways to kill you. 

The arrow hit the demon in the shoulder and it was distracted for a few moments. That was enough time for Magnus to crawl backwards and get to his feet. Suddenly, Alec was next to him and together, they faced the Hellhound.

Magnus shot a flash of blue light at him and at the same time, Alec threw a knife the warlock hadn't seen before. However, that didn't seem to suppress the Hellhound. On the contrary, it made him even more angry. He jumped towards them and they sidestepped as fast as possible. Apparently, the demon had decided that it didn't like Magnus very much since it turned around to face him instead of the shadowhunter. 

Magnus took a step back and tried to distract the Hellhound with caustic sparks, but it didn't seem to work. Then Alec slit open the demons back with his seraph blade and it cried out in pain. That gave Magnus enough time to shoot a fireball at him and he hoped that he would hit the wound. That would be the end of the Hellhound. 

Unfortunately, Magnus missed his target and the demon stumbled backwards, right towards Alec. They fell to the ground together and Magnus heard his boyfriend scream. Without thinking about it, he grabbed a blade that was lying on the ground and stormed towards Alec and the demon. Even if he wasn't believing in god or anything like that, he started to pray that he wouldn't hit Alec. 

The blade in his hands began to shine in a bright blue light and when he stabbed the Hellhound, he had to turn away for a few seconds. There was a flash of light and with a loud crack, the demon dissolved. 

Magnus knelt down next to Alec, who was still lying on the ground and took his hand softly. "Alec?" He asked anxiously and when he opened his blue eyes, Magnus couldn't hold back the tears any longer. 

Alec got to his knees slowly and when he saw that Magnus was crying, he hugged him tightly. "It's all right. I'm fine. You saved me." Magnus couldn't stop himself from sobbing, but after a few seconds, he was able to calm down again. "I'm okay." Alec whispered again and kissed him quickly. 

When they got to their feet, Alec groaned and the expression on his face showed Magnus that he was in pain. "Alec, what is it?" He asked quickly and looked at him closely, just to see that he had a long cut from the claws of the Hellhound on his back. 

"It's nothing." Alec murmured, but Magnus didn't believe him. 

"Yeah, well, lie to someone else, please. And now give me your hands so that I can heal you." 

Alec hesitated for a few moments and Magnus raised his eyebrows slowly. "Don't you need your strength for the battle? What if something happens to you?" 

"It's not important whether I can still fight or not. If you lose too much blood..." He couldn't finish that sentence and when Alec saw the look on his face, his expression became more gentle. 

"And if I take too much of your power, you could die as well. Call the others, they can use a rune and then everything will be fine again." 

But Magnus shook his head slowly. "A rune won't be able to fix that." He whispered and took Alec's hand slowly. "Even I can't just heal you right now. I can prevent you from losing more blood, but that's all. It takes too much time to make the wound vanish completely. It's too big. I'll have to do that after the battle." 

"But I don't want you –" 

"I don't care!" Magnus growled and narrowed his eyes. "You will let me heal you, Alexander. I can't lose you." It wasn't easy for Alec to understand the last sentence since he leaned forward slightly. 

"And you think that I could lose you?" Alec whispered back and now there was a sad look in his eyes. 

"Would you please let me help you, then?" 

"If you don't overestimate yourself, yes." Alec gave in and sighed, which let a small smile appear on Magnus lips. 

"Then give me your other hand as well." 


	26. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

_"Then give me your other hand as well."_

The smile on Magnus' lips gave Alec new hope and slowly, he raised his hand. When they touched, they glowed in a familiar blue light and Alec's body began to tingle. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it wasn't very nice either way. 

Magnus didn't have the time to heal Alec completely. At least he thought that, since a big demon appeared behind the warlock and Alec grabbed his seraph blade quickly, which meant that he broke the connection between the two of them. 

He took a step forward, ready to stab the demon, but he seemed to guess what Alec wanted to do. His tail nearly hit Alec and suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder, dragging him backwards again. From the corner of his eyes he saw that the expression on Magnus' face was concentrated and angry. Did Alec imagine that there was also concern in his eyes?

"Get away from him!" Magnus growled loudly and with a loud crack, the ground under the demon began to tremble. It took Alec a few moments to realize that the warlock was responsible for this, but he didn't have the time to say anything. Another demon was running towards them and this time, Alec was able to cut its leg with his seraph blade. The skin of the demon began to smoke and he cried out in pain. And then Magnus was there, stabbing him with his dagger (it was shining in a blue light as well). 

When Alec looked around, he saw that the first demon who'd attacked them was dissolving. Apparently, Magnus' magic had been very effective. All around them, the shadowhunters were trying to kill as many demons as possible. However, they were stronger and more intelligent than usual and that made it more difficult to defeat them. 

He saw Jocelyn and Luke fighting side by side. They were a good team and their enemies were very careful at attacking them. But when Alec had a closer look at the battle, he saw that all of them were avoiding getting too close to werewolves. 

"Seems like they don't like the Children of the Moon." Magnus, who was shooting fireballs at the demons close to them, noticed. "How are you feeling?" For a few moments, the two of them weren't bothered by any demons and Magnus used the time to have a look at Alec's injury again. 

"I'm fine." Alec assured him, even if it was a lie. To be honest, his back was hurting and he had a headache. "Just a little dizzy." 

Magnus’ cat-like eyes narrowed and he shook his head slowly. "It's not bleeding anymore, but I should  _really_ have a closer look at it! You're looking terrible, Alec." The last sentence was just a whisper and now there was an anxious expression on the warlock's face. 

"Don't worry about me." Alec said immediately and cursed himself for doing that inwardly. Because in this moment, there was even more fear in Magnus' eyes. 

"I'm always worried about you, you should know that." 

Suddenly, Magnus shoved Alec away and raised his hands in a defensive gesture. Just a few inches in front of his face, the blade stopped moving and it fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Magnus shot a flash of light towards his aggressor and the demon was thrown backwards. He landed on the ground and there was a grinding noise which made Alec shiver. 

"Maybe we should talk later." Magnus murmured and Alec grabbed his seraph blade again. "After we've survived all this." 

With a sigh, the two of them ran towards the fighting people again. 

For a few seconds, Alec saw Jace in the crowd and the bad feeling in his stomach returned. The things his  _parabatai_ had said before the angel had appeared were hurting him very much and he knew that they had to talk about it later, even if Alec didn't want to do it. He would have preferred to run away from Jace, but he knew that Magnus wouldn't let that happen. He always knew what was best for him and that was one of the things Alec loved so much. Magnus was one of the few people who really cared about him and normally, he would've said that Jace belonged to them as well. However, he wasn't sure about it anymore. 

Alec knew that Jace used to get angry when Clary did something stupid, but that didn't justify the things he'd said to him. And to be completely honest, Alec wasn't sure if he just said all those words or if he really  _meant_ them. Sometimes, it wasn't easy to comprehend Jace. 

A loud noise behind him ripped Alec out of his thoughts and he turned around quickly, just to see Karael and Belphegor fighting on the roof of a tall building. The angel and the prince of hell seemed to have the same strength since it didn't look like one of them was going to win. Karael was holding his sword while Belphegor used something which looked like chains as a weapon. However, they were sharp at both ends and Alec presumed that they could be deadly. 

In that moment, Belphegor used the chains to keep hold of Karael's legs and it looked as if the angel was going to fall to the ground. Luckily, he could grab the chimney of the house which made it possible for Karael to stand up again. It didn't look easy, but after a few seconds, the angel was standing on his legs again and attacked the prince of hell with his sword. When it cut Belphegor's skin, Alec heard some demons scream and when he looked around, he saw that they were vanishing slowly. 

Apparently, they were bound to the Prince of Hell and if Karael defeated him, the demons would disappear. So now the only thing they had to worry about was that the angel would win. Alec hoped that he would. 

Another demon was running towards Alec and he grabbed his bow quickly. The arrow hit him in the head and the young shadowhunter turned around to see two other demons getting closer to Magnus. The warlock was just attacking another one of them and he didn't notice that they were sidling towards him. 

As fast as possible, Alec shot two arrows at the demons. He wouldn't let them get too close to his boyfriend and one arrow hit the demon’s heart. Unfortunately, the other one just hit the leg of the second one and he turned around angrily to face Alec. 

He didn't take another arrow. Instead, he grabbed the long, curved blade he liked to use and ran towards the demon. Just before he reached him, Alec let himself fall to his knees and cut his other leg. With a loud cry, the demon fell to his knees and Alec stabbed it without hesitation. It dissolved even before the rest of its body could touch the ground. 

Alec stood up again and right now, it felt as if his back was on fire. Maybe Magnus had been right when he said that it wasn't good for him to fight any longer. The headache was getting stronger and he had to close his eyes for a few seconds before he was able to see everything clearly. 

Apparently, Magnus had noticed that he wasn't feeling very good as well. He was running towards him and shouted something Alec couldn't understand since the noises of the battle around him were so loud. 

Suddenly, the earth under his feet began to shake, but Alec didn't have the time to turn around and see what was coming closer to him. Something hit his back and for a few seconds, he was flying through the air. Then his body hit a wall and everything turned black. 

* * *

Magnus watched the demon hurling Alec against the wall wide-eyed. For a few seconds, his blood was frozen and he wasn't able to move. The fear was too strong and he couldn't think of anything else than Alec. He wasn't moving and Magnus hoped that he was still alive. 

He couldn't just die! After all this time, Magnus had finally found the love of his life and he wouldn't let anyone take that away from him. When something would happen to Alec, he wouldn't want to live anymore. And right now it looked as if... 

"Magnus!" Isabelle's voice took him back to reality and Magnus was able to focus on the tall demon in front of him again. And then his eyes grew wide once more. The demon wasn't much smaller than the houses in Alicante and he seemed to be very muscular. It looked as if his body was made of stone and worst of all was the blade in his right hand. 

And the fact that he was pointing at Alec with it. 

As fast as possible, Magnus ran towards his unconscious boyfriend and the demon who wanted to kill him. In the meantime, he shot fireballs at him, but the demon didn't even notice that. 

"Hey, you stupid idiot! Come on, look at me! Why don't you search for someone who can defend himself?" Maybe it wasn't very intelligent to shout at a demon who was about five meters taller than yourself and had a deadly weapon. However, Magnus didn't care about that right now. All he wanted to do was to safe Alec – no matter how he did it. 

There was one more problem. Apparently, the demon was deaf. 

Magnus was shouting as loud as possible, but he didn't react to it. Or maybe he didn't  _want_ to turn around. With demons it was always difficult to say what they wanted. As a warlock who'd already summoned many of them, Magnus knew what he was dealing with. 

The blue flash of light hit the demon's chest, but he just looked at Magnus and if he would have had eyebrows, he would've raised them. Unfortunately, he had to admit that his magic couldn't do anything against this demon. That didn't make Magnus feel any better since the blade was getting closer to Alec, who was still lying on the ground. 

"Oh come on, why don't you just take me instead of him?" Magnus tried again, even if he already knew that the demon wouldn't look at him once more. He was right. 

The demon raised his blade slowly, ready to stab Alec in the heart. Magnus was already running towards them as fast as possible, but a few other demons were jumping at him, which made it impossible to reach Alec in time. He tried to fight them off with his magic, but he was getting tired and that didn't make his reactions any faster. 

When one of the smaller demons tried to attack Magnus, he was able to see Alec again. The beautiful shadowhunter was lying on the ground and he was covered in blood – Magnus couldn't tell if it was just his own or if there was blood of demons on his clothes as well. Alec was still unconscious and it didn't look as if he was going to move soon. 

Now the tall demon raised his blade even further and Magnus thought that his heart was going to explode. The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow-motion and Magnus knew that he screamed Alec's name. The fear was making him stronger again and he killed the three demons who were attacking him at once. However, he wasn't able to help Alec anymore since the demon swung his sword. 


	27. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

_However, he wasn't able to help Alec anymore since the demon swung his sword._

Magnus watched the scene in front of him frozen in shock. He wasn't able to move anymore and his heart had stopped beating as well. He didn't dare to breathe as the sword moved closer to Alec's chest. Then Magnus heard someone screaming and it took him some time to realize that he was making the noise. 

There was no way he could help Alec. His magic didn't affect the demon and if he would use it against the sword, he could hurt his boyfriend. And that was the last thing he wanted. But at the moment, it didn't look like that could be prevented... 

Right now, thousands of images appeared in Magnus' head and he wasn't able to organize them. He saw people he'd lost in his long life – some of them had died in battles, while others just grew old. There were many shadowhunters among them, but all those people didn't impress him as much as Alec. They had left him beautiful memories, that was true. However, they didn't make him feel the way Alexander Lightwood did. 

And during their first meetings, he didn't even know what he was doing. Alec was a very honest person and Magnus loved that about him. Even if the blue-eyed shadowhunter had been inexperienced at the beginning, it hadn't bothered him very much. Alec had always been so cute when he blushed and suddenly, Magnus saw the two of them in a crowded subway and he was reminded of the expression on Alec's face when he tried not to laugh. 

Then he saw their first date, when Alec wanted to defend Magnus in a restaurant. In his entire life, nobody had thought that he needed protection. Except for Alec. That had been the moment Magnus had realized that he was the right one – the love of his life. Of course he hadn't told him that for some time.

He tried to skip the images of Alec's meetings with Camille and their breakup. Magnus had never felt so lonely before.

And then there were the images of Edom, where Alec had searched for him and their reconciliation. During the past months, Alec and Magnus had started to be completely honest with each other and he'd told the young shadowhunter many things from his past. It had made Alec more confident to know that Magnus told him everything he asked for and their relationship had grown much stronger.

And right now, all those things didn't seem to be important anymore. 

There was only one thought Magnus repeated over and over again.  _Don't do this!_

He knew he couldn't live without Alec. And even if he would've been able to do it, he wouldn't  _want_ it. Alec made everything better, because of him, Magnus' life was more colourful. And he had to admit that he'd already been tired of living before they met. With Alec, that feeling had vanished completely. Magnus wanted to live and there were so many things he wanted to show his sweet and beautiful shadowhunter... 

The sword was just a few inches away from Alec when Magnus noticed a movement on the roof of the building behind his boyfriend. It took Magnus a few seconds to realize that it was Jace. 

The Jace who'd insulted his  _parabatai_ just hours ago. Who'd told him that he was stupid and selfish and (even if he didn't say it like that) worthless. And this Jace was jumping from the building right now, just to throw himself between Alec and the sword which was about to stab him. 

Jace wasn't able to fight off the weapon of the demon anymore and it cut his leg. To Magnus, who was still frozen in shock, the injury looked very bad, but Jace didn't seem to care. There was a furious expression on his face and his eyes were gleaming dangerously. Now the sword of the demon was pointing at him instead of Alec. However, Jace wasn't impressed by it. 

He dodged away quickly and began to move in Magnus' direction. Even if a very tall demon was getting closer to him, Magnus was glad about it. That meant that he couldn't hurt Alec again. But that also meant that he'd to move again. And for a few moments, that seemed to be impossible.

Magnus was still shivering and his legs felt kind of weak. He had to breathe deeply again to calm himself down. And then Jace was next to him, which meant that the demon was focusing on him and Magnus now. 

Jace was holding a seraph blade in his right hand and a dagger in his left one. Blood was streaming down his leg and Magnus was impressed that he was still standing on his feet. However, he couldn't think about that too closely right now. He had to concentrate on defeating the demon. For Alec. 

"You shouldn't have gotten too close to him!" Jace shouted at the demon and raised his dagger. "I'm the only one who's allowed to be mean to him!" 

"I don't think that it's useful to talk to him! He's deaf!" Magnus muttered and for a few seconds, the blond shadowhunter raised his eyebrows at him. 

" _Deaf_ ?" Jace asked as he tried to cut the demon's arm with his dagger. It bounced off and he took a step back quickly so that the sword wasn't able to hit him. 

Magnus shot a flash of blue light at the demon. This time, he aimed at his head. Maybe that was going to hurt him. "Yes, deaf. Since you've heard my words, you can't be that, Jace Herondale." Without waiting for a response, Magnus ducked. He knew that the demon would try to stab him now and he was right. However, there was a puzzled expression on its face and to his surprise, the warlock noticed that the skin (if you could call it that) on the demon's head was getting crumbly. 

"Do that again!" Jace shouted and when Magnus turned to look at him, he saw that he had an idea. Hopefully. Sometimes, it wasn't easy to tell what Jace was thinking. 

He tried to shoot another flash at the demon, but this time, he missed him. And stood up to run away quickly. Apparently, the demon had decided that Magnus was more interesting than Jace. Well, normally he would've said that it was true, but in a situation like this... 

"When I say 'now' you have to do it again! And don't miss him!" Jace, who was lying on the ground right now (Magnus didn't know why), shouted again and Magnus tried to nod. 

"It's not that easy to hit something that's moving. As a Nephilim, you should know that!" Magnus replied and jumped over the corpse of a werewolf. He didn't look at him very closely since he would find out who it was soon enough. If he survived everything.

"NOW!" Jace's voice was very loud and Magnus turned around quickly, just to see the demon running towards him with an angry expression on its face. Without hesitation, he shot a flash at its face and at the same time, Jace's seraph blade flew towards the demon. 

They both hit him and when the demon cried out angrily, Magnus had to cover his ears. There was a loud crack and the demon began to dissolve quickly. Everything that was left was a bunch of dust in front of Magnus' feet. 

And the next thing he knew was that he knelt down next to Alec and took his hand. For a few seconds, he didn't dare to hope, but then he felt his heartbeat and the tears began to run down his cheeks. Magnus didn't cry very often, however he couldn't prevent it right now. 

"Alec? Alexander, can you hear me?" He whispered and noticed that his voice sounded a little hysterical. He didn't care about that. The only important thing to him was Alec. Magnus knew that the battle wasn't over yet. Nevertheless, he wouldn't leave Alec alone again. 

Slowly, Alec opened his eyes and Magnus couldn't stop himself from sobbing any longer. And suddenly, Alec was holding him in his arms. With one hand, he stroked his back while the other one wiped away some tears on Magnus' cheek. 

"It's all right. I'm fine." Alec repeated over and over again and when Magnus was able to look up at him, he saw that he was also crying. 

"Don't say that. You nearly  _died_ . His sword was so close to your heart..." He couldn't finish that sentence and Alec cupped his cheeks quickly, forcing the warlock to look into his eyes. 

"I'm here, right? I promised I wouldn't leave you –" Without thinking of it, Magnus grabbed Alec's shoulders and kissed him desperately. It was a kiss that expressed all his fear and despair. But it didn't last very long. When Alec stiffened, Magnus let go of him quickly. 

"Let me look at your back again. I have to heal you now." He ordered and Alec shook his head. 

"You can't do that. Not right now. You've already used too much of your power." 

"Alec –" Magnus tried again, but the shadowhunter wouldn't let him say anything else. 

"I don't want you to hurt yourself." 

"You can't say that after you nearly died! If Jace wouldn't have been there –" 

Now Alec's eyes grew wide. "Jace? But I thought he..." 

"I wasn't able to reach you in time. And then Jace appeared on the roof of that building and just jumped between you and the demon. He saved your life, Alec." 

The expression on Alec's face showed Magnus how confused his beautiful boyfriend was and he squeezed his hand. "I'm sure you can talk about it later." However, he remembered that Jace had been injured as well.

"I hope so." Alec murmured and Magnus kissed his cheek quickly. 

"Then you should let me have a look at your injury, sweetheart." 


	28. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Alec turned around and he felt Magnus touching the injury on his back carefully. He didn't have a good feeling about being healed right now. Magnus had already used so much power to defeat the demons and Alec knew that he would overestimate himself. And when something happened to Magnus, Alec didn't know what he'd do. 

However, his concern was unnecessary. Just in the moment Magnus wanted to take his hand, they heard a loud scream and with a loud crack, Belphegor and Karael landed on the square in front of the Accords Hall. 

Without hesitation, Magnus knelt down in front of Alec, ready to defend him. His hands were shining in a blue light again and he knew that his boyfriend's expression wasn't very happy. Presumably, his cat-like eyes were gleaming dangerously. 

On the other side of the square, Alec could see his parents. Maryse was holding a seraph blade in her hand and was trying to hit a demon with it, while Robert killed every enemy who came too close to her. When there was just one demon left, his parents turned around at the same time and both stabbed the demon – Maryse in the heart and Robert in the stomach. He dissolved and now they were looking into each other’s eyes. At least Alec thought that, he was too far away to be sure of it. But either way, it was strange to see his parents fighting side by side after everything that had happened between them. 

Now Maryse turned away quickly and Robert focused on the angel and the prince of hell who were fighting in front of the Accords Hall. He said something to her and then she looked towards Karael and Belphegor as well. 

When Alec looked around once more, he saw Jocelyn, Simon and Izzy, together with many werewolves. Apparently, it was Maia's pack and Luke seemed to be there as well since Jocelyn stroked the back of one werewolf and whispered something into his ear. When Alec tried to have a closer look at his sister, he was glad to see that there wasn't much blood on her clothes and skin. 

"Alec." Magnus muttered and when Alec followed his gaze, he had to swallow. 

Clary and Jace were fighting side by side. There weren't many demons left on the square, but it didn't look like the fight was well-balanced. Jace's left leg was bleeding heavily and it seemed to be difficult for him to stand any longer. However, his expression was determined and Alec knew that he wouldn't stop attacking the demon. He was still trying to defend Clary, who didn't need his protection. She was very skilful and no demon had a chance against her. 

"What happened to him?" Alec asked quietly and he knew that his voice sounded weak. Even if Jace had been very mean to him, the thought of him dying made Alec sick. He was his  _parabatai_ and the fact that he seemed to be mad at Alec for whatever reason couldn't change that. 

"As I said, he saved your life." Magnus explained in a calm tone and looked over his shoulder. "I didn't say that it went well." 

"We have to help him." Alec tried to stand up, but the pain in his back made him fall to the ground again. Additionally, Magnus shot him a warning look and he knew that he wouldn't have let him go, even if he'd been able to. 

"You're not strong enough to fight any longer. I have to heal you first, but unfortunately, that's not possible right now." He pointed at Karael and Belphegor who were still fighting in the middle of the square. Many shadowhunters had left to look for more demons in the city so the place was nearly empty. Only a few people were still fighting demons – including their friends, Alec's parents, Jocelyn and Maia's pack. 

Luckily, the demons didn't seem to notice Magnus and Alec any longer. Or maybe Magnus was responsible for that, Alec would have to ask him later. He knew that many demons avoided getting too close to Magnus because of his father's position. Since Asmodeus was a very powerful demon, the other ones didn't want to make him angry by hurting his son. 

That was also a reason why Alec had been so surprised when the demons were trying to kill Magnus and not the shadowhunters who were with him. Something didn't seem to be right, but now he knew what it was. Apparently, they had feared Belphegor more than Asmodeus. Or he'd promised them something which made them forget their anxiety. 

"And I don't think that Jace and Clary are in real danger. Exceptionally,  _she_ 's got the situation under control today." Magnus' voice sounded impressed and when Alec focused on them again, he knew why. This time, it looked as if Clary was  _protecting Jace_ . She was fighting off the demons with a seraph blade, while Jace was just holding a few daggers in his hand (Alec didn't want to know where he found them) and waited. And after a few seconds, Alec knew what he was waiting for. 

Just in the moment the demon was about to hit Clary, the little girl ducked and Jace threw one of the daggers. It cut the demon’s arm and without hesitation, Clary – who was standing behind its back now – stabbed him. They defeated two more demons in the same way and Alec was impressed. But this time, he wasn't jealous or anything like that. 

He had stopped being angry at Clary a long time ago. He knew that Jace loved her more than anything and that's why they were working together so well. Since Alec and Magnus were a couple, he understood them and he knew that it wasn't necessary to be mad at the little red-haired girl anymore. 

And he also knew that Jace needed him as well...

Did he? Suddenly, Alec remembered the things his  _parabatai_ had said again and he shivered. All his doubts returned and he wasn't sure if Jace really wanted Alec by his side. What if –

"Stop that!" Magnus voice ripped him out of his thoughts and he saw the warlock looking at him reproachfully. "You know that he said all those things because he was angry at Clary." Alec knew him well enough to notice the uncertainty in his voice. 

"I don't think so. And don't lie to me, you're not sure either." 

For a few moments, Magnus closed his eyes. Then he sighed and looked at Alec again. "You'll have to talk about it later. And if he says anything like that again, I'll really turn him into a pink parrot!" Magnus beautiful cat-like eyes gleamed treacherously and Alec couldn't stop himself from smiling. However, his headache was getting stronger and he began to feel very weak. Magnus seemed to notice that since his expression softened and he touched Alec's leg. "It'll be over soon." He murmured and turned around to look at Karael and Belphegor again. "I think our angel's a little stronger than the demon. He's already hit him many times and that's why the other demons are vanishing." 

When Alec followed his gaze – he had to lean forward because Magnus was still kneeling in front of him – he saw that he was right. 

Karael and Belphegor were still fighting in the middle of the square, but the expression of the Prince of Hell was a little troubled. Karael's sword was shining in a bright light and it looked as if it was made of gold. Belphegor seemed to have lost his chains since he was using a blade which was too small for his hands now and it wasn't easy to ward off the angel's attacks. 

They were getting closer to one of the buildings and Alec noticed that Karael wanted to push Belphegor into the corner between one of the houses and the Accords Hall. It was clever because the demon wouldn't be able to sidestep anymore.

However, Belphegor was one of the nine Princes of Hell, which meant that he was a good warrior. Karael wanted to slice his throat with his sword, but the demon ducked and rolled away quickly. He grabbed a knife that was lying on the ground – and far too small for his hands – and threw it at the angel. Karael hadn't seem that coming, so the knife cut the arm which was holding the sword. 

Belphegor used the moment in which the angel was distracted to take a few steps towards him again. He raised his blade and was about to stab him when Karael raised his sword again. Their weapons met with a loud crack which sounded like an explosion and they were flashing in a yellow light. 

Alec had to close his eyes for a few seconds and when he was able to see again, the angel was starting to push the Prince of Hell into the corner again. And this time, Belphegor wasn't able to get out of the way. His suit was covered in his own black blood and Alec could see a long cut on his stomach. 

He tried to sit up a little further, not wanting to miss what happened now. Suddenly, Magnus was kneeling next to him and Alec was able to lean on his boyfriend. 

Karael and Belphegor were getting closer to the wall and the demon tried to throw a dagger at the angel again, but this time he was prepared to fend off the weapon. 

"You have made a big mistake by coming to this world." Karael said loudly and the expression on Belphegor's face showed pure anger. 

"And why don't you think that you're the one who made the mistake?"

"I am not the one who is going to lose this battle." The tone of the angel's voice showed that he didn't doubt that he'd win. 

"You shouldn't say something like that when we're still fighting." Now the demon was grinning and Alec felt Magnus stiffen next to him. And then he realized why. Behind his back, Belphegor was holding another knife which was as black as his blood. And it looked as if he was going to stab Karael with it. 

"He'd used his blood to make this weapon more dangerous." Magnus whispered without looking at Alec. He was still focusing on the battle in front of them and Alec couldn't look away either. "It's a very old kind of magic and only greater demons can make it very effective. When a normal warlock tries to do something like that, it's not very impressing. Maybe the weapon kills the enemy a little faster or the death is more painful, but that's all. And sometimes, the warlock who wants to use this magic even dies since you have to use much power for it. However, one of the nine can make a weapon not just more deadly. There are also other things it can do then, like –" He wasn't able to finish his sentence anymore. 

In that moment, Karael took another step towards Belphegor and when he raised his sword to attack the demon, Belphegor tried to stab the angel with his black knife. 

Somehow, Karael had seen that coming. In the last moment, he moved sideways and the knife which would have stabbed him hit the sword instead. And then there really was an explosion. The sword which was filled with heavenly fire met the knife bewitched by a demon. Those two things didn't seem to be compatible and both Karael and Belphegor were thrown back. 

The demon hit the wall of the building, while the angel was able to catch himself with the help of his wings. And then he moved towards Belphegor again. But this time, he was much faster than every other living thing – even vampires – could have been. 

The sword drilled through Belphegor's heart and even if there was a big distance between them, Alec could see the surprise in the greater demon’s face. And then Belphegor started to burn and it reminded him of the moment Clary had stabbed Jace with  _Glorious_ . But the Prince of Hell didn't survive it. With a loud crack, he dissolved and everything that was left was black dust in the air and his dagger which was lying on the ground in front of Karael's feet now.


	29. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Karael knelt down and touched Belphegor's dagger carefully, but there was a little flash of light and the angel jerked back. He stood up slowly and looked at the weapon for a few more moments. 

Magnus watched the angel with an interested expression on his face. He was curious and wanted to know what Karael would do now. Since he was an angel and the dagger was touched by a Prince of Hell – one of the greater demons – the tension between them became bigger the closer they got to each other. And when they touched there was a little explosion because they were exact opposites. Wanted to say: Karael couldn't touch the weapon, but he also couldn't just let it lie there. 

When the angel didn't move within the next moments, Magnus turned around to look at Alec who was still sitting next to him. He was very pale and it seemed as if he was feeling very bad. At least Magnus thought that since there was an absent expression on the beautiful shadowhunters face. "Alec, are you alright?" He asked softly and already knew the answer. Of course Alec wasn't okay. However, that question seemed to fit into the situation right now. 

"Yes, of course." Alec murmured and when he looked at Magnus, his eyes began to shine a little brighter again. That was good, so he was still there and it didn't look like he was going to get unconscious within the next minutes. 

"I really have to heal you soon." Magnus murmured and touched Alec's hand. It was cold and that worried him a lot. "Very soon." He corrected himself and the younger man’s lips twitched. 

"Don't worry about me." 

"How often do I have to tell you that I'm always worried about you, you stupid, beautiful, wonderful Nephilim?" 

Magnus kissed Alec's cheek quickly and he just wanted to say something when a voice took them back to reality. 

"Alec, Magnus, are you okay?" Isabelle was running towards them. She was covered in blood, but it didn't seem to be hers. She was still holding her whip and with her free hand, she grabbed Alec's and squeezed it. "You're as cold as ice." Isabelle whispered and Magnus noticed that she sounded scared. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was worried about Alec. 

"He's lost much blood." He told Isabelle and now she was focusing on him instead of her brother. "I wasn't able to heal him during the battle. And I can't do it here either." 

"Why not?" 

"I don't think that it would be funny when I lose my consciousness here." Magnus was whispering now and he hoped that Alec wouldn't hear his words, but unfortunately, shadowhunters had very good ears. 

"What did you just say?" Alec inhaled sharply and Magnus hesitated before he looked into his boyfriend’s eyes. Of course there was an accusing look in them and Alec was angry as well. "You can't heal me when you're not strong enough!" 

"You know I'll do it, if you want it or not, Alexander." Magnus said those words in a warning tone, but Alec wasn't impressed by that. He knew him too well. 

"You shouldn't risk your life for me." 

" _Risk my life?_ " Magnus couldn't believe what he'd just heard. After Alec had nearly died, he was talking about others risking their lives... 

"I don't want you to –" 

"Could you two please stop behaving like you were married for sixty years or something like that?" Isabelle cut in and looked at Alec and Magnus warningly. And when he followed her gaze, he also knew why. Next to Isabelle, Simon, Clary and Jace had come to see them. 

There was a distance of about ten feet between them and for a few seconds, Magnus wondered why they didn't come closer. But then he remembered Jace's words again. And Simon and Clary weren't part of Alec's family. However, Jace was his brother and he'd saved his life in the battle. Well, after everything Jace had said to Alec, Magnus could understand why he didn't dare to come closer, even if he'd protected him.

And then there was something else Magnus noticed. And he thought that Isabelle didn't mean her friends, but Karael who was walking towards them slowly. 

The expression on the angel's face was thoughtful and Magnus wasn't sure if there was respect in his eyes or if he just imagined that. Isabelle stood up quickly and positioned herself between Karael and her brother, but Alec didn't want it. He looked at Magnus questioningly and when he nodded, they stood up together. Alec had to lean on him, but Magnus didn't mind. He only hoped that he'd be able to heal him completely. 

"I think I have made a mistake by saying that you should not have called me." Karael said loudly and Simon, Clary and Jace came a little closer so that they were standing next to Alec and Magnus now. Isabelle took Simon's hand, which made Magnus smile. Somehow, the two of them were cute together. 

"We have to thank you, Karael." Clary began and bowed slightly. "Without you, we would have lost this battle and Belphegor and his army would have taken over the world. There wouldn't be any shadowhunters or downworlders anymore, so that the demons wouldn't have any problems at destroying every other living thing on this planet." 

"You do not have to thank me." Karael replied and a small smile appeared on his lips. "I did not defeat Belphegor for you, Nephilim. I did it for me because he is one of the Princes of Hell and they are our worst enemies. They are not allowed to walk on this or any other planet and every other angel would have tried to prevent him from carrying out his plan as well. So it was nothing special, but an essential action." 

For a few moments, they all were speechless. But then Jace took a step forward. "Now you're talking as if you wanted to help us right from the beginning." Magnus wanted to turn him into a duck right now. You couldn't just speak to an angel in a way which was similar to the tone you used when you talked to your parents! There wasn't much respect in Jace's voice and he even sounded reproachful. "And I'm not sure if that's true..." 

Karael's eyes flared up dangerously and for a few seconds, it looked as if he wanted to grab his sword again. "You should always remember to whom you are talking to, Jace Herondale." He warned, but then he relaxed again. "You have all fought very well." 

This time, Isabelle smiled at the angel, which surprised Magnus very much. Normally, she didn't speak in a situation like this and compliments weren't something she liked or needed. "Thank you, Lord Karael." 

"I have already told you that only Raziel is allowed to be called 'Lord'." Karael said immediately and did Magnus just imagine it or was Isabelle blushing? "But either way I have to thank you too, Isabelle Lightwood. You have a brave heart. And not only you, your friends are courageous as well and some of you surprised me very much today." The angel looked at Simon for a few moments. However, and to Magnus' big surprise, he turned to look at him afterwards. "You are different from the other Children of Lilith, Magnus Bane. You fought against the demons in this battle openly, but it was not the first time you did something like that. You have always made the right decisions and chosen the side which fought for peace and equality. That is nothing every other warlock would have done. I know, there are some others of your kind who are looking at the world from a position which is similar to yours, but it is not always like that. You knew some Children of Lilith who did not want to save the world. And do not worry, it is not possible to compare you to them." The angel paused for a moment and smiled at Magnus, who was looking at him with a surprised expression on his face. At least he thought that. He could have also stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth wide open and a look on his face that reminded of an owl or something like that. 

"Furthermore, there is something else which surprised me. And this is your love to the young shadowhunter standing next to you. When I first saw you, I did not know what to think about it. One of the Nephilim and a Child of Lilith together? The blood of an angel and the blood of a demon? That just seemed to be a joke if I should be completely honest. However, then I saw you fighting together in the battle and your reaction when he nearly died." Karael nodded towards Alec and Magnus squeezed his hand, which was still too cold. "And I realized something. I would never deny that love is powerful and that it can overcome all problems. But your love is different. There were already many people in your life and you thought that you loved some of them, Magnus Bane. However, you never felt about one of these persons in the way you feel about Alexander Lightwood, am I right?" 

Magnus wasn't able to say something. He didn't know that the angel saw anything except Belphegor during the battle, but he should've known it. At least Karael was a powerful angel and he could do many impressing things. He just nodded silently, which made the angel's smile grow wider. 

"And this love showed me something. It is not important whether you are one of the Nephilim, a downworlder or a mundane. Deep inside, you are all the same. And this is human. Something I will never be and this is why I respect you so much. And I envy you for being able to have such feelings, even if they can also be cruel sometimes." 

From the corner of his eyes, Magnus looked at Alec. He was also staring at Karael wide-eyed and Magnus thought that he'd forgotten his injury at the moment. Suddenly, Alec turned around to smile at him. And this little smile showed Magnus a thousand things. And the most important one was that the angel was right. Their love really was special and it would always be. And there was nothing that could change it. 

"There is something you have to do for me." Karael's voice took Magnus and Alec back to reality and when they turned around to look at him again, they noticed that his expression was serious again. "I cannot touch Belphegor's dagger and neither can the Nephilim. Since you are a Child of Lilith, you are able to take it, Magnus Bane. And I must ask you if you will take care of it. It is very important that the weapon cannot be used again and magic should not affect it anymore. Will you do that for me?" 

_That_ surprised Magnus even more und he nodded quickly. "Of course I can do that, it won't be a problem." He assured the angel and a satisfied look appeared on his face. 

"Then take it. And I have to say something else before we part. This time, it was good that you have called me. I am glad about it and since I could kill Belphegor here, I am not mad at you anymore. Nevertheless, you should not do it again! I am not very patient and next time, it could be possible that something happens to you. Do you understand my words?"

They all nodded quickly and Karael's lips twitched again. "Then go and take the dagger now." He said loudly and to Magnus it sounded like a command. He looked at Alec questioningly because he couldn't just let him stand there. He was too weak for it. However, Magnus knew that he was too proud to admit that. So he looked at Isabelle and nodded. She went to Alec's other side and now he was able to lean on her instead of Magnus. 

Slowly, he went towards the dagger and when he stood in front of the black weapon, he couldn't stop himself from shivering. All around it, there was a strange tension in the air and when Magnus' hand touched the dagger, it felt as if a little flash of light hit him. He didn't want to hold it in his hand much longer, so he took of his jacket and wrapped it around the weapon. 

When he turned around again, Magnus saw that Karael was already shining in a bright light, which meant that he was going to vanish soon. And he was right. Before he could take a step towards his friends and the angel again, Karael wasn't there anymore. 

Magnus blinked for a few times, but it didn't change anything. So he just walked to his friends again and he saw that the others – Alec's parents, Jocelyn, Luke, the other werewolves in their human form and several others – were doing that too. 

And then Alec was there again and the shadowhunter wrapped his arms around Magnus' shoulders. They kissed, but this time, it didn't just last a few seconds. They were so relieved that everything went well and they had to show each other how much they were in love. And of course they were grateful for being alive as well. 

All around them, Magnus could hear people cheering loudly and when they finally pulled apart, Alec and Magnus couldn't stop themselves from laughing any longer as well. 

Suddenly, Isabelle and Maryse were there and hugged them tightly. Did Magnus imagine the tears in Maryse's eyes or were they really there? He couldn't tell. However, everyone was happy about having won the battle and slowly, the square in front of the Accords Hall was filled with many people. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't good for Alec, who was already very weak and Magnus saw that it was difficult for him to follow the events around him any longer. And then he got unconscious. If Magnus wouldn't have caught him, the young shadowhunter would've fallen to the ground. But now he was in Magnus' arms and he carried him towards his house as fast as possible.


	30. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Everything was dark. 

Dark and quiet. 

Alec didn't know where he was or what happened. The last thing he remembered was the cheering of many people on the square in front of the Accords Hall. He'd kissed Magnus and then his parents and many others had come and then... nothing. Darkness. 

So what happened? And even more important, where was he? 

He moved a little bit and then he realized that he was lying in a bed. A very big and comfortable bed, which felt very familiar to him. And then Alec noticed something else. Apparently, someone was sitting next to him. He could hear the person breathe and his right side seemed to be a little warmer. Or did he imagine that? 

Slowly, Alec opened his eyes, just to see that he was lying in the bed of Magnus' house in Idris. And how did he realize that in the first place? Of course everything around him was purple. 

When he turned his head, he couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly. Magnus was sitting on the bed next to him and watched him with a loving expression on his face. It was dark in the bedroom – not too dark to see anything, but dark enough that it wasn't easy for your eyes to do so. 

However, Alec realized immediately that something was wrong with Magnus. His hair wasn't styled and he wore a black t-shirt (wasn't that  _Alec's_ shirt?) together with dark blue sweatpants. He wasn't wearing socks or shoes, which wasn't unusual for him, but Alec was worried either way. And when he looked at him even more closely, Alec saw the dark rings under Magnus' eyes and did he just imagine that or was the warlock thinner than before? 

When their eyes met, Alec noticed that Magnus was very tired and worried as well. It looked like he'd been afraid, but... Oh. Oh no, that couldn't be true. His injury wasn't that bad, was it? Well, it had to be since Magnus looked as if someone had nearly died.

"You've been unconscious for two days." Magnus whispered and his voice was shaking a little bit. Everyone except Alec wouldn't have noticed it. However, he knew Magnus well enough to say how he was feeling. 

Slowly, Alec took Magnus' hand and a small smile appeared on the warlock's lips. "It wasn't easy for me to heal you completely. I really should've done it before, but there was no time..." 

Magnus shook his head, a reproachful expression on his face. So he was blaming himself for what happened. 

"I had to use all my power to make your injury vanish. I nearly killed myself..." 

At those words, Alec couldn't remain silent any longer. It was just too much for him. "No!" He didn't expect his voice to be that loud and both of them winced. "You shouldn't have done that! If anything would've happened to you –" 

"Then you would live, Alec. And that's all I want." Magnus wasn't speaking loudly and Alec saw the sadness in his eyes. "I didn't care if something happened to me. All I wanted was that you're alive."  _I need you to live..._ Suddenly, Alec remembered the words Magnus had said to him months ago, when they wanted to go to Idris to discuss Sebastian and his actions. He couldn't stop the tears from appearing in his eyes, but he didn't care. They weren't important right now. However, Magnus was. 

And that's why Alec grabbed Magnus' shirt and pulled him closer so that they were lying next to each other. "Don't say that." Alec murmured and now the tears were running down his cheeks. "Don't you dare say that it's not important whether you're dead or alive again." 

"Alec..." Magnus began when he saw that he was crying, but he cut him off. 

"No, now you listen to me. And don't try to change the subject, Magnus." The seriousness in his voice surprised the older man and Alec used these few seconds to go on. "You shouldn't have done that. I know that you thought that it was necessary since I was about to die and of course I would've done the same, but you shouldn't have used your complete strength to safe me. You can't just give yourself up for me. In that moment, you only thought about what could happen to me, but you didn't think of yourself as well. What would have been if something happened to you? What would I do? You know that  _I can't live without you_ !" 

Now Alec wasn't able to control himself anymore and he sobbed loudly. His whole body began to shake and before he knew what happened, he was in Magnus' arms and he stroked his back softly. 

"Hey, it's okay. You can calm down, Alexander. You're okay and I'm fine too. Nothing happened to me, I'm still here. And I'll be forever. I promise, no, I swear I won't leave you alone. Never. You're everything to me. I love you." Magnus whispered those sentences into his ear. Nevertheless, it took Alec some time to calm down again. And when he was able to see clearly again, he noticed that Magnus was crying as well. It was strange to see that since he didn't do it very often. Normally, Magnus was able to control himself very well. 

"And you really think that I could live without you?" Magnus shook his head slowly and touched Alec's cheek to wipe away some tears. "Stupid Nephilim." 

And then he kissed Alec. Well, it should have been a normal kiss, but right now they were both too agitated to stay calm any longer. Alec buried his hands in Magnus' hair, while he wrapped his arms around his shoulders. They rolled around so that Magnus was lying on top of Alec and now he knew that Magnus had lost weight. Before the battle, the warlock hadn't been that skinny. Alec could feel his ribs on his chest. 

They kissed each other passionately for many more moments and Alec would have never stopped, but suddenly Magnus pulled away. Both of them were breathing heavily and now Magnus looked even more messy than before. Alec didn't want to know how he was looking. It wasn't as if he'd care; his appearance had never been very important to him. However, the way Magnus was looking at him right now told him that he didn't think that Alec looked ugly. 

"Why did you do that?" Alec asked and Magnus looked at him apologetically. 

"I would love to tear off all your clothes and do many naughty things to you, but there's something else you should know." Magnus rolled over again and now he was lying next to Alec, who raised his eyebrows at him. 

"Do I have to be even more worried than I'm already about you?" 

"Why are you worried about me?" 

"Oh come on, Magnus! You can't deny that you're looking terrible. It seems as if you haven't eaten for years and did you even sleep after the battle?" Alec didn't wait for an answer. "Of course I'm worried about you! I love you more than anything and all I want is that you're alright. And right now, it didn't seem like you are okay." 

"Alec..." Magnus murmured and he shook his head. 

"I think we have to accept that none of us likes the other one to feel bad or be ill or whatever else. And that's why you should start caring about yourself as well." 

"Then you should think of yourself as someone who's important too." Magnus replied immediately and his cat-like eyes gleamed. 

They looked into each other's eyes for a few more moments and then they both nodded. 

"I think I can do that." Alec murmured and a small smile appeared on Magnus' face. 

"Good, then I'll try it as well." 

"And now you have to tell me what I should know." 

Magnus sighed quietly and nodded again. "Okay, you've won. Well, I would've told you what happened either way, but fine. During the battle, I've said that Jace saved your life." 

When Alec didn't say anything, Magnus continued. "And he was injured while doing that. The blade of the demon had cut his leg and the wound was bleeding heavily. You don't have to worry, he's fine." He added quickly when he saw the expression on Alec's face. "From all people you should know best that Jace can't be killed that easily." 

"So how is he?" Alec asked and couldn't stop himself from worrying about his  _parabatai_ . Even if Jace had been very mean to him before the angel appeared, Alec didn't want that something bad happened to him. 

"Since I broke down and became unconscious after I'd healed you, the Silent Brothers had to take care of Jace. It took them some time to heal him completely, but now he's alright again. The wound has vanished and he's already starting to walk again, even if it's not easy. It'll take some time until he can fight again and he doesn't want to accept that. I think you already expected that." 

With a small smile on his lips, Alec nodded. That sounded like Jace and when they saw each other again –No. Alec refused to finish that thought. Their next conversation wouldn't be nice, that was easy to say. After everything Jace had said... 

"He wants to talk to you, you know?" Magnus' voice took him back to reality and Alec saw the anger in his eyes. "He says he wants to apologize." 

"And does he mean it?" Suddenly, Alec's mouth was dry and his heart was racing. 

"I hope so. If not, I have to turn him into a purple grasshopper. Well, maybe I should've chosen the pink parrot... No, a grasshopper can't make that much noise. It would be better that way." 

"You've told him that?" Alec's voice was filled with surprise and he looked at his boyfriend wide-eyed. 

"Yes, and that I'll kill him when he hurts you again." The expression on Magnus' face was deadly serious and Alec believed him immediately. 

"When does he want to talk to me?" He asked instead of talking about that any longer. 

"Right now. He's waiting downstairs." 


	31. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Magnus saw the surprised look on Alec's face and he felt guilty immediately. It had been a bad idea to tell him that Jace wanted to talk to him now. Maybe he should've given Alec more time to recover... 

Well, now it was too late for that. Magnus noticed that Alec's hands were shaking and he squeezed them. The young shadowhunter looked insecure and he could understand him very well. Jace had said some terrible things and it was hurting Alec very much. Being confronted with them wouldn't be pleasant and it was normal that he was afraid. 

"You don't have to do it right now. I can tell him that you're not ready for it." Magnus whispered softly and looked deeply into Alec's eyes, but he shook his head. 

"No, it's fine. I just didn't expect him to be downstairs, to be honest. I thought he wouldn't want to see me." A sad expression appeared on his face and Magnus kissed him on the cheek quickly. 

"He seems to feel sorry." He muttered and now the look on his face became surprised again. 

"Does he, or is he pretending to regret the things he'd said?" 

"I think you have to find it out by yourself." Magnus knew that his answer didn't satisfy Alec, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He didn't want to give him too much hope since he wasn't quite sure as well. Was Jace really regretting it? Yes, of course it looked like he'd a guilty conscience. However, you could never be certain when you were talking about Jace Herondale. 

"Maybe you're right..." Alec murmured and closed his eyes. For a few seconds, Magnus couldn't hear anything else than Alec's and his breath and he thought that it was... peaceful. After the events of the previous days, something like this seemed to be too good to be true. Everyone was alive and all the injuries would heal soon, the shadowhunters and downworlders had won this war and it didn't look like anything bad would happen within the next months. Or years. Or maybe weeks or days... You couldn't tell for sure. 

Nevertheless, there still were some things that needed to be fixed. Like Alec's and Jace's friendship. Magnus knew that the things his  _parabatai_ had said made Alec sick and he didn't feel much better about it as well. He wanted to hit Jace or hex him or do anything else which hurt him just as much as he'd hurt Alec. Sadly, it wasn't that easy... 

"Magnus, are you alright?" Alec's voice ripped him out of his thoughts and suddenly, he realized that the beautiful blue eyes were filled with concern. 

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't I be the one who asks that question? Since you are going to talk to Jace?" 

"You had this strange expression on your face. It was a mixture of anger and pain. I didn't know..." Alec shook his head slowly and Magnus felt his lips twitch. 

"I'm fine. I was just thinking of Jace and how he'd hurt you and that made me angry." He explained and leaned forward to kiss him quickly. 

"I'm not sure if I want to hear what he has to say." Alec's voice was thoughtful and Magnus touched his cheeks softly. 

"I know you're afraid, Alec. And you don't have to be ashamed of that." He added quickly when the shadowhunter tried to avoid looking into his eyes. "Jace is your  _parabatai_ and the things he'd said were cruel. It's normal that you're hurt and angry. And I think you should really try to fix this. I hate to see you unhappy and when there's a chance that Jace wants to apologize, you should take it. Because if he doesn't do it, I'll really have to turn him into an animal and Clary won't be happy about that. Then we'll spend the rest of our lives running away from a little red-haired girl and that's not the key to a happy life, is it?" 

Apparently, his attempt to cheer up Alec was successful. A small smile appeared on his lips and he wrapped his arms around Magnus' shoulders to pull him closer. 

"I love you, Magnus." Alec whispered into his ear and his heart began to beat faster. 

"I love you too, Alexander." They kissed each other for a few moments, but then Alec pulled away with a sigh. 

"I should really talk to him, right?" 

Magnus nodded silently. 

"Then you can go and tell him to come." 

"You're sure that you want this?" Magnus asked again and raised an eyebrow at Alec. 

The expression on his face was determined and slowly, Magnus stood up. 

"Don't worry, it's going to be all right. And if he's bothering you in any way, just scream or make any other noises. I'll be in the living room." With one last smile, Magnus left the room. 

* * *

Alec's heart was pounding wildly in his chest. 

A few minutes had passed since Magnus had left the room and Jace would enter it soon. And then he would have to confront him with everything he'd said before the battle. When he thought of the angry expression on his  _parabatai_ 's face, Alec shivered. Jace couldn't have really meant all those things, could he? Did he really think that Alec was stupid and egoistic and... 

The sound of footsteps coming closer interrupted his thoughts. Alec swallowed and when someone knocked on the door, he hesitated for a few seconds. Did he want to talk to Jace right now? Magnus had been right when he said that it was necessary, but suddenly the idea didn't seem to be that good anymore. Maybe he should have forced Magnus to get some sleep first. That would have given Alec also more time to think of everything.

"Come in." It surprised Alec that his voice wasn't shaking and when Jace entered the room slowly, he froze. His blood felt like ice and for a few moments, Alec couldn't breathe. He looked at his  _parabatai_ silently, who was walking towards the bed now. 

Well, he walked with a limp and Alec noticed that he touched his leg with one hand. So there the blade which had been meant for Alec had hit him. Jace was wearing a white t-shirt and black pants, together with white shoes. His hair was washed and combed, though he looked nearly as tired as Magnus. 

There were dark shades under his eyes and it seemed as if it wasn't easy to stay concentrated. At least Alec thought that since Jace's gaze was wandering around the room uneasily and he only did that when he hadn't slept for a long time. Or when he was really worried. 

"Can I sit down?" Jace asked quietly and nodded towards the edge of the bed where Magnus had been sitting a few minutes ago. 

Alec didn't answer him and just nodded. He would listen to what his  _parabatai_ had to say first. It wouldn't be fair to say something mean to Jace right now. Maybe he really regretted it.

Slowly, Jace sat down next to Alec, in which he paid attention to leave a big distance between the two of them. Apparently, he thought that Alec was going to hit him or something like that. The idea amused him a little bit. As if he'd do that.

"I have to apologize, Alec." Jace began and swallowed loudly. Now it wasn't difficult anymore to see that he was nervous. "Those things I said before the battle... I didn't mean them. You have to believe me. I... I was just so angry at Clary because she did something stupid again and then you mentioned the rune she'd used and I thought you could've prevented her from running into the pentagram... I know you couldn't have done it, even if it would've been possible. And it wasn't, I know that. Since I know Clary, I can say that no one can stop her once she's got an idea. In that moment... I just needed someone to blame for everything. And when you said those things, you kind of gave me a target." 

Jace looked into Alec's eyes for a few seconds, as if he wanted him to say something. But when he stayed silent, the blond shadowhunter continued. "And I have to say again how sorry I am. I really didn't mean all those things! You're not stupid and thoughtless and least of all you're egoistic. You're one of the most selfless persons I know, Alec. Since I know you, you've always tried to protect Isabelle and me. And you were really good at it! You never thought of yourself and how you feel or if you killed many demons. That wasn't important to you. Everything you cared about was your family and our safety. And since I already mentioned the demons I should say that  _I'm_ egoistic and stupid. I was always the one who wanted to fight against the demons and that's why I used to get us in trouble. And then many bad things happened. I don't have to mention them as well, right?" 

Now Alec couldn't stop his lips from twitching anymore. The crooked smile on Jace's lips together with the worry in his eyes were a strange mixture, but Alec had seen this look so often that it was very familiar to him. It was really difficult to stay mad at Jace for a long time. However, Alec remembered his words and he felt his face become blank again. 

"You really think that it's easy for me to forgive you, right?" He asked and now Jace's smile vanished. "From all people you should know best that I'm taking the things others say to me very serious. And that I can't just forget something like that." 

Alec wasn't prepared for the expression which appeared on Jace's face in this moment. If he'd looked a little depressed before, there was pure sadness in his eyes now. He looked like someone who'd found out that he'd done something unforgivable. Well, and it was similar to that. Maybe it wasn't irredeemable, but definitely unforgettable. Alec didn't know how long those things would influence his trust in his  _parabatai_ ... 

"I want you to trust me again." Jace whispered and for a few seconds, Alec thought that he'd heard his doubts. 

"And I want to trust you. I really do. But you know that it's not that easy, Jace." Alec didn't know if he wouldn't do something like that again. 

"I swear to you that I didn't mean it! I was angry at Clary and desperate and I didn't know what to do and... You know how I react to bad news and events. Normally, I blame myself for them and then I fight and I don't care whether I die or not. This time, it was different. And I hate myself for that. I never wanted to hurt you. You're my  _parabatai_ and my brother. My family and also the better part of me. And I really hope you can forgive me because I don't know what I should do otherwise." 

For what felt like ages, Alec just looked at Jace. He seemed to be miserable and Alec swallowed. Could he really be angry at him much longer? Jace had explained everything very well and Alec wanted to believe him. No, he  _believed_ him, but was that enough? Would that prevent Jace from freaking out again when something bad happened? 

"Could you please say something? It's a little scary when you stare at me like that." Jace murmured and Alec looked away quickly. He didn't even realize that he'd been staring at him... His thoughts had been too far away. 

"I want to forgive you." Alec began, but when Jace's eyes began to shine a little brighter, he looked at him warningly and raised a hand. "However, that doesn't mean that it'll be easy. You know I can't forget the things you've said and no, you don't have to worry anymore. I know that you didn't mean it. But that won't stop me from fearing that something like that happens again." 

"It won't, I swear it by the angel." Jace said immediately and a little smile appeared on his lips once more. And that was too much for Alec. This time, he didn't try to stop the smile which wanted to spread out on his lips. He shook his head slowly and realized that his hands were shaking again. 

"You're a stupid idiot, you know?" He asked quietly and Jace chuckled. "And the fact that I forgive you doesn't mean that I'll forget it that quickly. It'll take some time until I trust you again completely, Jace." 

Now Jace laughed loudly and Alec thought that Magnus, who was in the living room, could hear it as well. "If that'll be possible again, everything's alright!" The happiness in his voice surprised Alec and he raised his eyebrows. 

"You were really worried, weren't you?" He asked simply and Jace nodded. 

"More than words can describe. It was horrible to think that you could hate me." Now the uneasy expression returned and without hesitation, Alec hugged Jace. 

"You should know that I can't hate you." 

"And you should know that I like the thought of people hating me. Or loving me. Or noticing me." Jace grinned widely and now Alec chuckled in amusement. 

"You're hopeless." 

"And you were so stupid and wanted me to be your  _parabatai_ ." 

"Which was one of the best choices in my entire life." Alec added and now Jace raised his eyebrows since his voice had been very serious. 

"You really mean that, don't you?" 

He nodded silently. 

" _You're_ hopeless, Alec." 

"Okay, let's say that you're both stupid. Have you finished your discussion and is everything alright again?" Another voice interrupted their conversation.

Both Alec and Jace looked at Magnus, who was standing in the doorway, wide-eyed. None of the shadowhunters had heard him coming. 

"Yes, you could say it like that." Alec said when he found his voice again and a smile spread out on Magnus' lips. 

"That's good. Congratulations, Jace. You won't be turned into a pink parrot or a purple grasshopper. Well, I could still do it when you want, but I don't think that it's very likely." 

After a few seconds of silence, Jace shook his head. "I want to be a black lion." 

"You're hopeless!" Magnus and Alec shouted at the widely grinning Jace. 

“And now get out of my house, Herondale!” Magnus barked and crossed his arms. “We really need some sleep. And you do too, from the looks of it.” 


	32. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"I didn't think that it would end well." Alec murmured and Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

"What do you mean?" He asked questioningly and turned around so that he was able to look at him. A few days had passed since Jace had apologized and now everyone was helping at rebuilding the destroyed parts of Alicante. Well, almost everyone. Magnus insisted on Alec staying in bed because his injury hadn't healed completely yet. And since Magnus had used all his strength to save Alec's life, there wasn't much he could do to help the shadowhunters as well. That's why he was in the bedroom of his house in Idris most of the time. Together with his beloved blue-eyed boyfriend. 

Of course their friends visited them as often as possible, but either way the two of them were alone very often. And right now was one of these moments. 

As soon as Magnus turned around, Alec wrapped his arms around his shoulders. His blue eyes were shining in the dim light of the bedside lamp and Magnus had to smile because he was so beautiful. 

"Everything that happened in the past weeks. The demon attacks, the summoning of the angel, the war..." Alec shook his head slowly and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "It's strange, isn't it? We always end up in situations which seem to be hopeless, but in the end, everything ends well. I mean, the war against Valentine and the one against Sebastian weren't easy as well and many bad things happened. However, we survived." He was silent for a few moments and Magnus wrapped his arms around his waist. 

"Yes, we did. Even if it wasn't always easy." He didn't want to mention all the terrible things which had happened during the war against Sebastian. For example that Jace had been controlled by him or that he'd kidnapped the representatives of the downworlders – including Magnus. They had talked about it very much and he knew that it had been horrible for Alec. When he was reminded of it, he still started to shiver uncontrollably and he became as white as a sheet. "Nevertheless, those wars also had positive effects." 

This attracted Alec's attention and now he looked at him wide-eyed. "What do you mean?" The disbelief in his voice told Magnus that he'd never tried to see it that way. To be honest, he couldn't blame him for that. The ability to see situations from all sides was something which developed in the course of the life and since Magnus had lived for a long time, he was able to do it. 

"Well, let me start at the beginning. If Valentine wouldn't have come back after so many years, we would have never met each other. And then many other things wouldn't have happened the way they did. We would have never started to meet regularly and I would have missed the possibility to get to know the most beautiful and nice and sweet and honest and lovable shadowhunter in the world. The person who turned my entire world upside down immediately. And the first one in about five hundred years who made me think that he could be the right one for me." 

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus touched his lips quickly to make him stay silent. "And you are the one, even if I didn't realize it at first. I was too blind to see that you are everything I want and that there's nothing that could change that. And in a completely weird and stupid way, the war against Sebastian had positive effects as well. Yes, I know, the entire story with Camille and our breakup isn't nice and I won't say anything about it. Nonetheless, it made me realize how much I needed you and what you meant to me. Being without you was horrible and after the events in Edom..." He shook his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds to make the pictures which appeared in his thoughts vanish again. "Since then I knew that it wasn't right to have secrets and I started telling you everything. And I think that's what made our relationship even stronger. We both know how it is to be without each other and I dare to say that we both hated it." 

This time, he didn't try to stop Alec when he wanted to say something. "I've never tried to see it that way." He admitted and began to play with a button of Magnus' shirt. "However, you're right. When I think about it more closely, I start to understand what you mean. All those things – even if they were bad – have helped us to arrive where we are now. And I wouldn't change one single event of the past. Because then, we wouldn't be together like this. And this is all I want. Being together with you and knowing that everything's alright." 

Magnus couldn't stop himself from raising his eyebrows slowly. He didn't like to ask Alec that question, but somehow, it seemed to be necessary right now. "Everything you want for now or forever?" He knew that it was stupid to mention this theme again since it had caused so much trouble in the past. Notwithstanding, they had to talk about it someday. 

Alec froze in Magnus' arms and he breathed in deeply. There wasn't just surprise in his eyes, but something else as well. Fear. Uncertainty. Maybe even panic. Suddenly, the young shadowhunter started to shiver and Magnus regretted his words. 

"Alec, everything's alright. We don't have to talk about this right now. I know that it's not a good moment and I've been completely stupid! I'm sorry, please calm down again. Nothing's going to happen between us. We're fine.  _Calm down, I beg you, Alexander._ " Magnus whispered those words into Alec's ear and he noticed that his voice began to sound desperate. 

However, Alec started to relax after a few more seconds and closed his eyes. His grip around Magnus' shoulders tightened and it seemed as if he'd never want to let go of them again. 

"We don't have to talk about it." Magnus repeated and tried to smile reassuringly. Slowly, his boyfriend opened his eyes again and he saw that Alec was able to control himself again. 

"No, we have to. I'm sorry that I freaked out, but after everything that happened with Camille..." He shook his head in disgust and swallowed. "I don't want to lose you because of this again." 

"But what makes you think that you're going to lose me?" Magnus whispered and touched Alec's cheek softly. "I love you, I always will and nothing's going to change that." 

"Not even the time?" 

"No, even time won't change my feelings for you." 

"And it can't change my feelings for you as well. You've always known that." Alec replied in a calm tone and Magnus was surprised at how serious he sounded. 

"You must really love me." He muttered and Alec chuckled softly. 

"You've always said that I'm stupid." 

Magnus shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "Nephilim are stupid in general. You don't live long, but you love more passionately than any other creatures can do it. And once you've found love, you don't let it go anymore. You die over broken hearts just as often as you die because of demon attacks or some other situations you throw yourself in. It's not easy to see through your facade, but at the same time, it's far too simple. I'll never understand you completely. I've already lived for a long time and it wasn't possible for me to say what you shadowhunters were going to do next. With downworlders it's different. You can always say that there will be conflicts between vampires and werewolves and that the warlocks won't intervene since they like being for themselves very much. And I don't have to talk about the faeries, you know how they are. Too proud and longing for power. They want to know everything and sometimes, that's not good for them. But shadowhunters... I think it's the blood of the angel which makes you so inscrutable." 

For a few moments, Alec was silent and looked at Magnus in surprise. He opened his mouth several times to say something, but not a single word escaped it. 

And suddenly, he was kissing Magnus as if he'd never be able to do it again. His arms were still wrapped around his shoulders and Magnus couldn't move away (as if he'd want that). For a few seconds, he was frozen in surprise, but then he relaxed and kissed Alec back just as passionately. 

Magnus lost his sense of time and later, he couldn't say anymore if they kissed each other for several minutes or hours. Anyhow, they were just lying there, in each other's arms and showed how much they were in love. It wasn't easy for both of them to pull back and when they did, they were breathing heavily. 

Alec's blue eyes were wide and shining and his hair was a complete mess. Magnus doubted that he looked much better, but at the moment he didn't care. He stroked Alec's back slowly and kissed him on the cheek once more. 

"I love you, Alec." 

"And I love you too, Magnus." A smile appeared on Alec's lips and Magnus felt his heart beginning to beat faster. It did that every time his boyfriend smiled and that also showed Magnus that he'd finally found the right one. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But why had things to be so difficult? 

"You're everything to me. And now don't get me wrong, but I have to tell you something. I've never done it before and I think you ought to know it. And please don't worry, it's nothing bad. At least I think so. I've already told you so many times that you're the right one for me and that I love you more than anything else in this world. And it's true and nothing's ever going to change that. You turned my entire world upside down and you made everything seem more... colourful again. And since I love you so much and you're the only one for me, I made up my mind. I've already done it some time ago, but then so many things happened and I didn't have a chance to tell you. I... And please don't get me wrong or get scared or anything like that. Just listen to me first. I want to grow old with you, Alec. It's the only thing in my life which I've never done before and you're the one for me. I'll never want anyone else and...." 

The shocked expression on Alec's face made him fall silent and Magnus swallowed. Now he'd said it and he hoped that he didn't have to regret those words. Alec didn't say anything for a long time and just looked at him thoughtfully. Just when Magnus wanted to ask if he was all right, he opened his mouth to say something. 

"When did you decide that?" Alec's voice sounded hoarse and when he finally looked into his eyes, Magnus saw that there was consternation in his gaze. 

"Before you started to meet Camille." He admitted in a low voice and now Alec was really shocked. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" In the silence of the house, his voice seemed to be far too loud and both Alec and Magnus winced. 

"As I said, so many things happened and when I found out that you talked to Camille..." Magnus shook his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I was angry first, but that feeling vanished quickly. I don't know if I just was disappointed or... I can't say it precisely." 

He couldn't tell if the expression on Alec's face showed anger, fear or doubt. Maybe the feelings also changed too quickly. However, all of them were there. 

"You know that this is very much to take in at the moment, right?" Alec murmured and Magnus nodded immediately. 

"I don't expect you to say something to it right now." 

"And if I want to?" 

"Then I won't stop you." 

"Good." Alec kissed Magnus quickly and when he saw the bewildered expression on his face, the young shadowhunter laughed quietly. "You know that your immortality has always bothered me. Not as much as your secrets, but I didn't like the thought of you staying young and beautiful while I grow old. And I thought that once I'd be dead, you would just go on and search for someone else to love. And it hurt. Thinking that I was just a way of passing the time to you. And then there was the fact that you've already loved many others before me and that made everything even worse. I've told you many times that I just met Camille to get to know more about you and you don't have to say anything. I know you believe me. And then you were missing and I didn't know if you were dead or alive and...  _That_ hurt. More than anything else. And I realized that it wasn't important whether you were going to live forever or that you've already lived for a long time. I started to believe that everything that was important was right now. And I still believe that. It doesn't matter what happens tomorrow or what's been yesterday. Of course we can't just forget those things, but it's not necessary to think about it too much. To be completely honest, I didn't think about your immortality for some time, Magnus. And now that you've told me all those things... That you want to grow old with me... I love you. I can't say if often enough. I love you and I always will. And you really don't have to do this for me." 

"And if I want to?" A little smile appeared on Alec's lips when Magnus repeated the words he'd used before. 

"Can I stop you?" 

"No, I'm a warlock and you love me. You wouldn't do it if I thought about it closely enough. And besides, you couldn't do it as well." When Alec chuckled, Magnus grinned widely. He was so cute! 

"But did you think about it enough?" There was doubt in Alec's voice and Magnus could understand him very well. Even if he'd already made up his mind a long time ago, he didn't feel about it very good too. At least this was a very big decision and it was... forever. 

"I did." Magnus assured and shoved away a strand of hair which was going to cover his boyfriend's eyes soon. 

"You really don't have to do this for me. I mean, it's going to change your whole life." 

"You've already turned my world upside down, Alec."

"However, this is  _huge_ ." Alec repeated and Magnus smiled softly. 

"Yes, and I know that." 

"But you don't –" 

Magnus put a finger on Alec's lips to make him fall silent. "I know this isn't easy for you to understand, Alec. You have to trust me. I want to do it and nothing can change my mind. And if it calms you down again I can say that it doesn't have to happen any time soon. I mean, I don't want to look as if I'm older than my boyfriend! We have to wait a few years, that's certain." 

Apparently, Alec hadn't expected that as well since he was speechless once more. And then he started to laugh. It wasn't strained or anything like that, but just a relieved and happy laugh. And Magnus joined it immediately. 

"I love you, Magnus." Alec murmured and Magnus smiled widely. 

"And I love you, Alec." 

When their lips touched again, Magnus' heart began to beat faster and he couldn't believe that he was so happy. Since he'd never been it before with anyone else, he knew that Alec was the right one for him. Forever. Or at least for their little part of forever. 


	33. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

"It's good to see that you're okay again." Simon said and a small smile appeared on Alec's lips. Somehow, he liked Simon. Even if he was the boyfriend of his sister, which meant that he had to keep an eye on him. 

After a few more days, Alec had finally been able to walk again. His back was still hurting, but he didn't care about that. After all, he was a shadowhunter and pain was something ordinary to him. Magnus was feeling better as well. It seemed as if he'd really just used too much power to heal Alec. A few days of rest, together with much sleep had made him look better too. The dark rings under his eyes had vanished and the warlock was as energetic and cheerful as always. 

They were at Magnus' house again and Izzy, Simon, Clary and Jace had just come to see them. Alec had opened the door, while Magnus was still in the living room, waiting for them to come upstairs. 

Izzy hugged him tightly and Alec grinned at his sister. She'd been very worried about him and he could understand her very well. Now that he was beginning to feel better, Isabelle was happier too. And relieved. However, not just for him. They were all very relieved that Jace was starting to recover. He wasn't able to walk very quickly yet, but in a few weeks, he would be alright again. Which meant that he wasn't in a very good mood. Alec knew his  _parabatai_ well enough to see that it bothered him not to be able to walk and help at rebuilding the city. 

"Where's Magnus?" Clary asked and frowned at Alec. She was holding Jace's hand and he looked at her as if he'd never seen anything more beautiful.  _Like a miracle..._ Alec thought and couldn't stop himself from smiling. A few months ago, that look would have bothered him, but now he didn't care anymore. He was happy that Jace had found someone to love. Even if the two of them could be pretty annoying sometimes... But Alec thought that it was normal for straight people. At least Izzy and Simon behaved strange as well. He would never understand them. 

"Upstairs." He answered Clary's question and pointed into the direction. "He's looking at Belphegor's dagger." 

Now he'd attracted everyone's attention. "And what did he find out?" Jace asked immediately and raised his eyebrows. 

"Is it dangerous?" Clary asked at the same time and Jace's lips twitched. 

"I don't know. He'd just started to study it when you knocked on the door." Alec shrugged and Clary looked disappointed, while Izzy looked at him questioningly. 

"Should we go again? I mean if he needs silence to survey it?" 

"Why should he need that? I mean, you know Magnus. He's not the kind of person who likes silence." Simon remarked with a slight smile and she crossed her arms. 

"Well, if you say it like that..." 

"Why don't we just go upstairs? If he doesn't want us there, he'll say something." Jace said and without waiting for an answer, he walked towards the stairs and the others couldn't do anything else than following him. 

Magnus was sitting on the small couch and looked at the dagger which was lying on the table in front of him with a frown when Alec and the others entered the living room. He didn't look up, not even when Alec sat down next to him and touched his hand carefully. 

"It's a strange weapon..." Magnus murmured and after a few more moments, he finally looked at Alec and their friends. His cat-like eyes were shining and Alec could see the curiosity in them, which always appeared when he wanted to figure something out. 

"What do you mean?" Simon asked and frowned. "For me, it just looks like a normal dagger. Well, mostly they're not black, but apart from that..." 

"I think we all know that you don't know very much about weapons." Jace said contemptuously and both Clary and Isabelle shot him an angry look. 

Magnus ignored that and just carried on. "The magic Belphegor has used is very strong and it would be already deadly if you just touched the blade. The hilt is harmless, but I think it's just because he didn't cover it in his blood." 

When Jace made a movement with his hand towards the dagger, Magnus looked at him warningly. " _Don't touch it!_ " He snapped and the sharpness of his tone made Jace flinch. "When I say that it's harmless to touch the hilt, I mean that it doesn't affect me. Since I've also got demon blood in my veins, I won't be affected by it. But you're Nephilim and have the blood of the angel in you. I don't know if touching the hilt would kill you immediately or just hurt you, but I don't think that we want to try it. And since we all know that Clary and Jace have even more blood of an angel in their bodies than other shadowhunters, the smallest contact with the dagger would kill them." 

At those words, Clary and Jace paled. Alec had to swallow and looked at the demon weapon from a new point of view. So Magnus was the only person in this room – no, in Idris – who could touch that dagger without being injured or killed immediately. And when he touched it at the wrong spot, he could be dead as well.

"And what are you going to do with it?" Alec asked since he couldn't stand the silence anymore. He didn't want to think of that weapon and all the terrible things it could do to Magnus or everyone else. 

"That's the question." Magnus murmured and Alec could hear the uncertainty in his voice. The others didn't seem to notice it since they all looked at Magnus expectantly. "I can't reverse the spell on it, that's certain. The magic of a prince of Hell is much stronger than mine and it would be useless to try it. However, I also can't just put the weapon somewhere since someone could get the idea to use it, which could have terrible effects. Maybe I could try to use a spell which encases it, so that nobody will be able to touch it anymore. And if the Clave agrees to keep it in Alicante, nothing could happen... Or maybe the Silent City." There was a thoughtful expression on his face and Magnus closed his eyes for a few moments. 

"But will they agree to keep it here?" Simon asked and raised his eyebrows. 

"I'm not sure." Magnus admitted, but Alec nodded at the same time. 

"If Magnus tells them that it's the only way to keep it safe, they'll do it." He said in a convinced tone and now everyone was looking at him. "I mean, they don't have much of a choice, right? Either they keep it so that nobody can get it or they'll risk another catastrophe." 

For a few seconds, they were all silent and thought about the things Alec and Magnus had said. It didn't look like Magnus had any other ideas about what they could do with the dagger and the others didn't seem to have them as well. So they would have to convince the Clave. Well, mostly Jia and Robert, which shouldn't be that complicated. If they decided that it's necessary, the other shadowhunters had to accept their choice. And maybe the Silent Brothers would say something to that theme too... 

"Jia and Robert won't be against the idea." Jace murmured and said just what Alec had thought a few seconds before. "Nevertheless, it's not possible to say if the others will like the plan..." 

"Do they have to know about it?" Magnus raised his eyebrows and Alec turned his head to look at him more closely. His eyes were shining in excitement and Alec knew that he'd found the solution to their problem. 

"When they don't know about the weapon, they can't say anything against it!" Alec said and nodded quickly. 

"But they have to tell the other Nephilim about it. I mean, they can't just decide it by themselves." Simon cut in and frowned. "Or can they do it?" 

"Well, theoretically, they can do it." Clary said slowly and even Jace looked convinced, which surprised Alec a little bit. Normally, he didn't like plans that were so easy. 

"And who will talk to them?" Izzy asked and looked at all of them questioningly. 

"I'll do it. I've got the weapon and I'm the only one who can touch it without being hurt." Magnus answered immediately and Alec looked at him with concern. He hoped that Magnus wouldn't be too incautious. The thought that something could happen to him, right after they survived the battle, was terrible and Alec couldn't stop himself from shivering. 

Apparently, Magnus had noticed that Alec didn't like the thought of him taking the weapon. He took Alec's hand and squeezed it. At the same time, a small, reassuring smile appeared on his lips.  _Don't worry, I'll be careful._ It said and Alec began to relax again. He knew that Magnus wouldn't do anything stupid and that he knew how to treat objects touched by demons and their magic. 

"And if they won't take it?" Simon asked and raised his eyebrows again. 

Magnus shrugged. "Then we'll have to think of something else." 

"You don't want to make another plan now? Just in case the first one doesn't work?" 

"Since we don't know if the first one will work, it would be stupid to make another plan. It could be possible that it's unnecessary."

Simon rolled his eyes and Magnus leaned back in his seat, a wide grin on his lips. Alec smiled as well and kissed him on the cheek quickly. 

"And when are you going to talk to them?" Clary asked and Magnus made a vague gesture with his free hand. 

"After I've studied the weapon closely enough. Maybe in two or three days." 

"What are we doing in that time?" A dreamy expression appeared on Izzy's face and Alec groaned loudly. 

"The expression on your face tells us what you want to do." He murmured loudly and Simon blushed. Jace began to laugh, but Alec pointed at him quickly. 

"Oh shut up, Herondale. It's obvious that you're thinking the same!" The surprised look on Jace's face made Alec grin and suddenly, a cushion was flying through the air. Alec caught it and threw it back at Jace, who was laughing again. 

"And you want to tell us that you're not going to do it? Oh come on, Alec! You've got a whole house for yourselves!" 

"Jealous?" Magnus asked and raised one eyebrow. Just before the next cushion could fly through the air, the warlock stood up and took the dagger. "Before you start to hit yourselves with pillows, I'll lock this away. I don't think that it's a good idea to have it in a room with so many thoughtless Nephilim." 

A few seconds after he'd closed the door behind him, the next two cushions were flying across the room. 


	34. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter of this story! I've decided to post it completely now. Please let me know what you think! As I already said at the beginning, I wrote this in 2015, which is also why all the events after 'City of Heavenly Fire' are ignored. I hope you don't mind that. 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

_**Two months later** _

_Entreat me not to leave thee,_ _  
_ _Or return from following after thee—  
For whither thou goest, I will go,_ _  
_ _And where thou lodgest, I will lodge._ _  
_ _Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God._ _  
_ _Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried._ _  
_ _The Angel do so to me, and more also,  
If aught but death part thee and me._

Many memories flashed through Alec's mind when he heard Clary and Simon saying those words. They reminded him of a day many years ago. Back then, Jace and Alec had stood in similar rings of fire on the ground and they had also repeated the words of the oath which was part of the ceremony to become  _parabatai_ . It had been one of the most exciting days in Alec's entire life and he didn't think that he could forget it someday. 

Becoming  _parabatai_ was very special and once the ceremony was done and the runes were drawn, it couldn't be countermanded anymore. That's why you had to think of it very closely before. And presumably that was also one of the reasons why many shadowhunters didn't have a  _parabatai_ . 

Alec knew that Clary and Simon had made the right decision. Everyone knew how close they were and since Simon was a shadowhunter now, it was possible for them to wear the runes that made them as close as two persons could be. Well, nearly as close... 

The room in which the ceremony took part wasn't filled with people. Clary and Simon wanted to have some privacy and so only the most important persons from the Clave were there. Which meant Jia Penhallow and Robert and Maryse Lightwood – Alec's parents. Normally, the ceremony had to take place in front of the Clave, but it was also possible to perform it when only the Consul and the Inquisitor were there. 

Next to them, Clary's parents, Isabelle, Jace, Magnus and Jem were there. Alec wasn't completely sure why Jem was there as well, but it seemed to have something to do with the connection between him and Jace. Or rather Tessa Gray, Jem’s wife and Jace. After all, Tessa was related to Jace. Besides, during the last months, both Clary and Jace had begun to like the former Silent Brother very much. He rarely visited them in New York, but that didn’t matter. Alec knew that Jem spent more time in LA with the Blackthorns and Emma Carstairs.

Jace stood next to Alec and their shoulders touched, which showed him that his  _parabatai_ was also thinking of their ceremony many years ago. When he turned his head to look at him, he saw a smile on Jace's lips and Alec had to grin as well. On his other side, Magnus was holding his hand. He watched everything with much interest in his cat-like eyes and they were shining in the light of the fire on the ground. 

Alec knew that it wasn't the first  _parabatai_ ceremony Magnus was seeing. However, Nephilim were still a mystery to him and they surprised him very often. That also seemed to be a reason why he'd been so happy to be invited. Most probably because he still felt a special connection to Clary since he saw her grow up.

Alec followed his boyfriend's gaze and he saw that Clary raised her  _stele_ to draw the first rune. They had decided to place them right over the heart and since Simon had been a vampire for many months – which meant that his heart hadn't been beating anymore – Alec thought that the idea was great. It seemed to be right that they were wearing the runes there. After everything they've been through, the rune just showed them how strong they were together and that they were able to reach many things. 

When the  _stele_ touched Simon's skin, the fire in the rings around them began to burn stronger. Right now, it was difficult for anyone to see Clary and Simon, but Alec knew that it wasn't that bad in the circle. You didn't even notice how hot the fire around you was until the ceremony was over. Well, or maybe that was because of the excitement you were feeling. However, it looked worse than it was. 

After some time – Clary had drawn the rune very carefully – the fire became smaller again and they could see that the rune on Simon's skin was red, so it looked like it was burning as well. Alec knew that it was hurting, but Simon didn't show any signs of it. He raised his  _stele_ slowly and hesitated before it touched Clary's skin, but she was just smiling. 

Alec looked towards Jace and he saw a proud smile on his  _parabatai_ 's lips. Jace really loved her and it made him happy that she could smile, even if the  _stele_ on her skin was hurting her. When he noticed that Alec was looking at him, Jace's smile turned into a wide grin. "Are there also so many memories flashing through your mind?" He asked quietly and Alec nodded. 

"It's different when the entire Clave isn't there." He muttered and looked around for a few seconds. "Not that... festive." 

"Is that a bad thing?" Another voice asked and Alec turned around to see Magnus raising his eyebrows. 

Alec shook his head. "Of course it isn't bad." He whispered back and a small smile appeared on his lips. "They wanted it that way and I can understand them very well." 

He knew Magnus well enough to see the sad look in his eyes, even if he tried to hide it. "After everything that happened I wouldn't want to speak the oath in front of the whole Clave as well." 

Jace opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't have a chance to do it. In that moment, Simon finished the rune on Clary's skin and the fire vanished with a hissing noise. All that was left were three rings on the ground which were glowing in a red light. 

The  _parabatai_ -runes were still shining, but they became black slowly and after a few moments, Clary and Simon started to relax. They smiled at each other and Alec could see how happy they were. 

Jia took a few steps towards them and now everyone in the room turned his or her attention towards the Consul. She was smiling and looked at the runes on Clary's and Simon's skin for some time. Then she cleared her throat and began to speak. 

"Now that the ceremony is nearly over, I am happy to announce that we have two new  _parabatai_ among us Nephilim. Clary Fray and Simon Lewis, you may leave the circle now. I think I do not have to explain to you what it means to wear the runes you have just drawn. However, I must say that you have to be careful. Having a  _parabatai_ is a gift you should honour and you should always keep an eye on each other. Now you will not just be together as long as you live, you will also feel what the other one feels and I want to be completely honest. It will not always be easy. But since you have already managed many difficult and dangerous situations together, I think that you will be able to deal with this responsibility."

Slowly, Clary and Simon stepped out of the rings on the ground. They tried not to touch them since they were hot, which you could feel in the entire room. As soon as they'd left the circle, Clary wrapped her arms around Simon and they hugged each other tightly. 

Alec began to applaud together with the other people in the room and just when Clary let go of Simon, Jocelyn and Luke were there to congratulate them. Alec could see tears in Jocelyn's eyes and there was a thoughtful expression on Luke's face. 

"He's thinking of Valentine." Magnus whispered and Alec noticed that he was also looking at them. "Even if he'd been evil, it had been difficult for Luke to accept that their bond was broken." 

"I couldn't think of many things that are worse than that." Alec agreed and Magnus raised his eyebrows. 

"There's nothing which could be worse." 

"Yes, there is something." Alec contradicted and now Magnus looked at him in a confused way. "The worst thing which can happen is that I could lose you." 

For a few seconds, Magnus was silent and just looked at Alec as if he wanted to search any signs which showed that he was making fun of him. But when he realized that his boyfriend was serious, the warlock wrapped his arms around him and kissed Alec. 

"I love you." Magnus murmured and Alec smiled. 

"And I love you, Magnus. More than anything." 

They looked into each other's eyes for a few more moments, until Magnus pulled away and took his hand. "I think we should congratulate Clary and Simon." He said and Alec followed him with a wide smile on his lips. 

* * *

"It's always a relief to be in New York again." Isabelle said and Magnus had to smile. Next to him, Alec laughed softly and when he turned his head, he saw that the young shadowhunter was grinning at his sister widely. 

"So Idris is too peaceful for you, Izzy?" 

Slowly, Isabelle raised her eyebrows. "I don't think that you can call a battle against an army of demons peaceful." 

"Well, but that wasn't on our  _last_ visit there, right?" Alec was still grinning at her and it didn't take long until Isabelle had to smile as well. 

"New York is home." She said simply and Magnus had to agree to that. He'd been living in this city for more than a century now and no other city in the world was like New York. 

"That's true." Magnus agreed and now Alec looked at him. His blue eyes were shining in the light of the sunset. He knew exactly what he was thinking. They'd met each other in this city and here, their relationship had developed. Many good (but also many bad) things had happened here and that made this place so special to both of them. 

"There they are!" Isabelle pointed at one of the trees in the Central Park and when Magnus followed her gaze, he saw Clary, Jace and Simon sitting in the grass. A few days had passed since the  _parabatai_ -ceremony of Clary and Simon and they were very close to each other at the moment. Magnus knew that Jace and Isabelle weren't too happy about that, but they didn't say anything. The feeling of being like one person would get weaker soon and then, everything would be normal again. 

"Where have you been?" Jace asked loudly as soon as he saw them walking towards him and he sat up quickly. "You wanted to be here an hour ago!" 

Isabelle smiled sweetly at him and sat down next to Simon, who kissed her on the cheek. "We didn't want to hurry up." 

Jace rolled his eyes and Clary laughed. "Is it really that bad that they didn't come earlier?" 

"Yes, it is!" Jace replied defiantly. "I had to be alone with you and Simon and since you behave like nothing could come between you anymore, it had begun to get a little annoying." 

Now Alec had to laugh and when Magnus turned to look at him, he saw the amusement in his beautiful blue eyes. "That feeling won't last long. You should know that, Jace." They sat down in the grass as well and Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec. 

"So now that we're here, I would like to ask a question which hadn't been very nice in the past." He began seriously and now everyone looked at him. Simon and Clary were just curious, while Jace looked suspiciously. "Has anything happened?" 

The tone of Magnus' voice and his serious expression surprised the others for a few moments. But suddenly, they all started to laugh. It wasn't because the question was funny. The laugh showed how relieved they were that there wasn't any trouble at the moment. After Belphegor had been defeated, there hadn't been so many demon attacks anymore. Right now, everything was mostly peaceful and that hadn't happened for a long time. 

"I think we're all happy when I say no!" Jace grinned and the others nodded in agreement. 

"Do you think that it'll last long?" Simon asked and Isabelle shrugged. 

"Who knows..." She murmured and exchanged a look with Clary, who was still grinning. 

"We shouldn't think about it." She suggested. "When something's going to happen, we can't change it either way." 

Magnus nodded and squeezed Alec's hand. "And that's why we should live in the moment and enjoy every second of it." 

_It means that from now on we make every day matter._

* * *

"They seem to be happy about their decision." Alec said and Magnus smiled at him. It was already dark and they were on their way to their apartment in Brooklyn. The others had gone back to the Institute some time ago, but Alec and Magnus had decided to go for a walk before they went home. 

"That's obvious. And why shouldn't they be happy? In this world, it's always great when you find someone to love, even if it's just like a brother or a sister." 

"Being  _parabatai_ is more than family." Alec whispered and for a few seconds, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts and Magnus knew that he was thinking of Jace and everything they've been through together. 

"And it can be hard sometimes." 

"That's true." Alec murmured and touched a spot on his chest with his free hand. There, Clary had stabbed Jace with Glorious so many months ago. Magnus knew that Alec had felt it as well – not that strong, of course – and that being  _parabatai_ didn't just mean to share all the good and happy moments. You also felt the other one's pain and you always knew when the other person wasn't feeling well. It was a heavy gift... 

"But either way, it's something special." Magnus tried to make Alec think of something happier and he seemed to be successful since a small smile appeared on his boyfriend's lips. 

"Aren't we something special as well?" 

Magnus chuckled softly. "Of course we are, Alexander!" He exclaimed and kissed him on the cheek quickly. "You know how much I love you and that I'm ready to change my entire life just to be with you." 

Even in the darkness, Magnus could see that Alec blushed. "I love you too, Magnus." Alec whispered and squeezed his hand. It seemed as if he wanted to say something else as well, but then they reached the front door of the building they were living in and Magnus stretched out his hand to open the door with magic. He didn't have a key to neither this door nor to the one to their apartment. The only keys were owned by Alec. 

In the moment the door to their apartment closed behind Alec, Magnus pressed him against a wall and kissed him passionately. First, Alec seemed to be too surprised to do anything, but after a few moments he relaxed and kissed him back. 

For some time, they just stood at the door and kissed each other, but then Magnus grabbed Alec's shirt and pulled him towards the couch. He knew that they wouldn't make it to the bedroom anymore and so Chairman Meow had to leave the place where he was sleeping at the moment. The cat protested loudly, but Alec and Magnus didn't care. They just shooed him away and the cat walked towards the bedroom in an offended way. 

Suddenly, Alec was lying on top of Magnus and he began to open the buttons of his shirt. Magnus moaned loudly and it took him all his strength to grab Alec's wrists to make him stop for a moment. 

"What –" Alec began and Magnus knew that he thought that he'd done something wrong. He wanted to sit up again, but Magnus strengthened his grip around his boyfriend's wrists. 

"Everything's fine, Alec." He murmured quickly and a small smile appeared on his lips. "It just looked like you wanted to say something when we reached the door." 

For half a second, Alec looked confused, but then he seemed to remember what he wanted to say. "It's not that important. It can wait." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows slowly. However, he couldn't stop himself from letting go of Alec's hands, so that he could continue unbuttoning his shirt. "Are you sure?" 

Alec nodded determinedly and closed Magnus' mouth with his own. "Yes, it's not important. And don't you think that we have enough time to talk tomorrow?" 

"Not just tomorrow." Magnus whispered between the kisses and buried one hand in Alec's hair. "We've got all the time in the world since I won't let you go anymore as long as I live." 

"I love you." Alec smiled and on Magnus' lips also appeared a wide smile. 

"And I love you, Alec Lightwood." He replied and leaned in to kiss Alec again. 

_The end..._


End file.
